In her Icy Embrace
by WingsofRequiem
Summary: Alan, a man with peculiar powers, finds himself near-death, from which the Ice Queen takes him. At first, Lissandra simply wishes to use him for her own goals. But after they find out the extent of his powers, new doors are opened. A war in Freljord begins to brew, and Alan is caught in the middle of a war against the Watcher. Rated M for language, lemons, violence and death.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys; welcome to another story of mine.**

**So, I know I was supposed to write a Vayne x Vladimir story, but I had no idea on how to begin that. And then, an idea hit me harder than a crossbow bolt could, and trust me, that's quite effing hard.**

**So I've started this Lissandra x OC story and I hope you'll all find it interesting.**

**Hope you enjoy the chapter - Wings.**

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><p><strong>Story Name: In her Icy Embrace<strong>

**Rated: M for future Lemons, vulgar language, graphical depictions.**

**Genre: Hurt/Comfort, Romance.**

**Summary: A young man with peculiar powers finds himself near-death, from which the Ice Queen takes him from. At first, Lissandra simply wishes to use him for her own goals. But after they find out the extent of his powers, new doors are opened. Will the ice around Lissandra's heart finally melt for this young explorer?**

**Pairing: OC x Lissandra**

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><p><span><strong>In her Icy Embrace<strong>

**Prologue**

'_My name is Alan Frost. Today, I will be a member of the expedition group from Piltover that heads to the north, deep into Freljord. We will be going farther north than anyone has ever gone. Even though this trip is extremely dangerous, I'm not doing this for the gold they've offered us on return or for the glory of exploring the unknown. I'm going there to sate my own curiousity, the explore places no one else has ever stepped upon. If I die or do not return, all I ask is to not be forgotten. On behalf of everyone going with me, I ask that those of us who do not return be remembered."_

He sighed as he put down his pen, not knowing what else to write. Glancing up, he saw that he had two hours to prepare. He got off the seat at his desk, walking around his room to the large bag he had placed upon his bed, already full with supplies. He finally took a look at his reflection in the mirror embedded into his wardrobe's door.

His platinum blonde hair, appearing snow-white or silver to most eyes, appeared as bedraggled as always, like the ruffled feathers of a bird. His eyes were icy blue, with flecks of silver in them that he always noticed. His skin was, as usual, stubbornly staying pale no matter how much time he had spent in the sun. He wore a dark blue hoodie, zipped up the front over a white t-shirt. A pair of fitting jeans covered his legs, leading down to a pair of belted up black boots, his hands covered by a similar pair of gloves, albeit fingerless. He was ready to hike through the coldest of places.

2 hours later, he was sitting in one of Piltover's aerial transports along with 5 other hikers. The other explorers were fluffed up with layer-upon-layer of clothing to fight the bitter cold of the north. They were staring at Alan like he was stupid, wearing little to nothing when compared to them. But this was a weird part of Alan's life. For some reason, the cold never affected him. He dive into icy ponds in the middle of winter without any clothes on and not even shiver. He never got frost burns nor did he ever feel the need to warm himself. The heat didn't bother him that much either, though he did feel it to an extent.

5 years back, when he was a youth of 19, he had been sitting outside while it was snowing. He had been in a bad mood, feeling desolated and helpless after his lover had left him after a 2 year long relationship, built on trust and love. He had laid outside like that, wanting to be as cold as the grief inside of him but feeling nothing except the tell-tale cold tingles of the snowflakes falling upon his bared arms and face. After perhaps hours of lying, he focused on his surroundings and found that the snowflakes falling from the sky were all spinning around him. Not like a twister, no, but like a slow spiral, twisting around him as they fell, drawn closer to him. Already, a small circular wall of snow had gathered around him, a perfect radius of 2 ft all around him. But as soon as he had noticed it, the snow had fallen back to it's regular pattern.

He had then spent a lot of time focusing and, with a lot of time spent on trying to harness it, he managed to find out that he could manipulate snow to an extent. But he could only direct the fall of snow as it fell from the sky, or lower the temperature around him. He never practiced further than that.

His mind came out of such memories when the craft jostled him, the large doors opening to reveal the endless expanse of white infront of them. They had arrived in Freljord.

…

It was 8 days into the expedition and the group had already traveled further north than anyone had ever gone. Up here, there was a perpetual blizzard going on, with visibility reduced so they couldn't see more than 5 feet around them. They all had a long rope tied around their waists, with 3 feet of rope inbetween them as they slowly trudged through the rope.

"Guys, the ground doesn't feel solid to me…" One guy behind Alan said.

"It's in your head, man. The blizzard's givin' ya vertigo." Another one, this guy infront of Alan, spoke up as Alan focused on his feet as he took the next step. As his feet landed, the ground held…. Then shifted down just an inch.

"Guys, he's right, the grou-" As Alan was speaking out his warning, the ground suddenly cracked, the sound of the ice shattering piercing through the sound of the wind like gunshots. A second of tense silence passed, no one breathing.

Then the ground shattered all around them, falling inwards. Alan heard his own scream over everyone else's screams as they fell. He felt the ground hit him; they had hit a slope, and now they were all rolling down the slope, hitting and rolling over each other, the ropes pulling and tugging on them. Then a rock slammed into Alan's head and everything went black.

…

Warmth… No… Cold? No, not that either. He couldn't feel cold. But he felt… comfortable? As soon as he was aware of his body, dull pain throbbed up his entire body, most noticeably in his chest and head as he groaned. His eyes opened slowly, everything appearing blurry at first. Slowly, his vision sharpened as he found himself within some sort of cave made completely of ice. He realized that he could see in a cave which should be completely dark. Turning his head, he found a large blue crystal jutting out of the ground, providing light inside the cave. He also realized he was on a sofa. Why was there a sofa in a cave of ice?

"So, you're awake?" A feminine voice, high and cold, spoke from one side of the room. With a grunt of pain, Alan looked over to the other side of the room, where a tall woman dressed in blue robes stood at the threshold of the cave, infront of what appeared to be a branch heading deeper into the cave. Now that he thought about it, he didn't see any opening in the cave aside from the one where the woman was standing at, so he assumed he was deep inside the cave already.

He inspected the woman. She wore blue robes that reached past her feet, trailing behind her. The robe had metallic pieces of armor covering her shoulder and waist, dark blue gloves covering her hands. Her head had a weird but ornate mask/helmet covering most of it, revealing only the bottom part of her face as well as around her collarbone. Her skin was of a pale blue coloration, like she had been frozen over.

"Ugh… Who… Where am…" Alan muttered, feeling groggy as the pain throbbed all over his body when he tried to move.  
>"You're in my lair, human. I found you and your little hikers walking on thin ice, which happened to be the ceiling of a cavern. As expected, it shattered and you all fell in the avalanche that followed. When I came upon your crash site 2 hours later, I found every human but they had already died and frozen up. All except you. You looked fine, although you were quite bashed up." Her voice was cold and smooth, like ice itself. She began pacing around the room as she spoke again, "So I was curious and wanted some answers. Seeing no one else who could provide them to me, I took you. I patched your wounds up so that you may wake to answer my questions." She said.<p>

"Uh… Okay…. What?" Alan murmured, his head still hurting with each heartbeat, uncomprehending. He reached up to feel the part of his head which was hurting, the top right part of his forehead, and found it covered with a large pad of cotton. There was also snow under the cotton, pressed against his wound, as he felt the tingle of cold under it now.

"You got a bit banged up as you fell, but not like the others in your group. I found one had been strangled by the cord around his waist."

"Wait… Everyone is… Dead?" Alan asked, that fact finally piercing through his muddled thoughts. The woman, her face appearing emotionless under the mask, nodded. There was a mannequin in the corner of the room, infront of which the woman walked to… No, walk was the wrong word. With the subtle elegance she had and the way she held herself up, she almost appeared to glide over to the mannequin. Once there, she began unhooking the armored pieces of her robe off, beginning with the shoulder guard as she spoke, "Now… Who are you?"

"I'm… Alan. Alan Frost." He answered, staring at the backside of the woman, watching her very long white pair, which was tied into a braid, sway at her waist level as she unhooked both of her shoulder guards, placing them upon the mannequin's shoulders. With her shoulders bared, Alan saw more of her pale blue skin. The dark gloves, which reached up to where her shoulder guards were, came off next, pulled off in a practiced, fluid motion, exposing more of her light blue skin.

"Frost… How fitting." She said, her voice holding a bit of irony as she put the gloves down infront of the mannequin. As she began to unclasp the armor piece around her stomach and waist, she asked, "Where are you from and what is your business here, Alan?"

She spoke his name like she didn't trust him yet. Ofcourse she didn't.

"I'm from Piltover." Alan said, grunting in effort and pain as he forced himself up into a sitting position, the light blanket which had been placed over him falling off. He saw that he didn't have his jacket. It was probably torn up from the fall, now that he thought about it. "I came here… With others, to explore this part of the north."

"Really?" She asked, her tone sarcastic as she clasped the armorpiece onto the mannequin. She didn't take her helmet off, however, as she turned around to face him with a smile on her face. She looked downright sinister as she slowly glided over to her. "So you're from Piltover, are you?" She asked, her voice menacing as Alan suddenly felt uneasy at her presence.

With a sudden motion of her arms, which suddenly began glowing light blue from her fingertips, fading as they reached up to her elbows, she flung several icicles at him, conjured up from thin air. Alan let out a yelp as they all soared past his head, barely touching him as they exploded on the wall a few feet behind him.

"Speak the truth, boy. Who sent you?" She asked, as she gestured with her hand again, this one less aggressive. But a large icicle formed in front of her, floating in midair, the sharp end pointed directly at him. "Or this one isn't going to miss."

"I told you the truth, what the hell!?" Alan shouted, wincing as the pain in his head throbbed. He noticed the movement infront of him though as he dived to the right side of the sofa he was on, the icicle suddenly burying itself where he had been moments ago.

"Wrong answer!" The woman said as she fired another icicle at him with a swipe of her hands. He dived to the other side of the couch, but not fast enough as this one skimmed his right shoulder, cutting a crimson line. He hissed in pain, adrenaline causing him to forget the pain in his body as he tried to got off the couch and ran to the side of the room, dodging more icicles in the process. He turned around and his eyes widened as he saw a huge hand of ice suddenly erupt out of the ground, grabbing him and pinning him against the wall. He screamed in pain as it pressed down on him, the woman gliding over so she was just infront of him. The hand held him, but didn't press down, as he watched a hole form in the middle of the icy hand in horror, exposing his torso. Ice formed around the woman's right hand, ending in a sharp point as she hovered it over his chest, only a few inches of flesh and blood separating the cold ice from his rapidly beating heart. He stared at her with wide eyes as she hissed at him, "Last chance… Who was it boy?"

Alan stared at her, breathing hard from the pain and the fear of his impending death. "You're insane." He said, his eyes staring hard at her. If he was going to die, he was gonna die with dignity. The ice descended upon him, but he didn't flinch. It stopped, barely touching his shirt as Alan held his breath. The woman stared at him, eyes hidden due to her mask so he couldn't tell what she was thinking. Then, she straightened up, the ice falling away from her hand as the huge hand released it's hold on him, sinking back into the floor.

"It seems you really are telling the truth…" She said, turning around as she began walking away from him. As soon as Alan remembered to breathe again, he registered the fact that she was walking away from him. Anger rushed up inside of him. "Hey, wait a minute!" He said angrily, reaching for her hand. The woman noticed and suddenly jumped away from him, screaming, "DON'T TOUCH ME!"

A shockwave of power seemed to emanate from the woman as she screamed, shoving Alan back as she momentarily forgot his anger at her sudden reaction. She was gripping the wrist of the arm he was about to grab, holding both her arms close to her chest. "Don't touch me…. You'll get burned." She said in a low voice, a trace of sorrow in her voice.

"Well then don't try to walk out of here without giving me a few answers then, especially considering the fact that you saved my life just to try and kill me again." Alan said, the last of his fear melting away as anger came forth.  
>The woman's lips thinned, but then she said, "Tch, fine. What questions does your puny mortal mind ponder?"<p>

Alan faltered, not actually knowing where to begin. He narrowed his eyes, the icy blue eyes focused on the masked woman infront of him.  
>"For starters, you can tell me what you are and where I am." He said, crossing his arms as he gingerly walked back to the couch, which was like 2 steps away, and sat down, sighing in relief. The woman slowly walked over, sitting herself down on the lounge chair opposite of the sofa and then said, "I'm known as Lissandra, True Queen of Freljord."<p>

Alan raised an eyebrow, "I can't say I've heard of you."  
>Lissandra's blue lips curled up into a smile, "That's exactly what we want."<br>"We? Who's this 'We'?" He asked.  
>" 'We' are the iceborns, the true rulers of the Freljord, having lived here for centuries in slumber." Lissandra stated, not explaining further than that.<p>

"Why are you wearing… that… Whatever it is?" Alan asked, gesturing at his own head in an attempt to shape-out the mask that Lissandra wore.  
>"None of your business. Next question?" She stated curtly, her tone letting him know that there would be no further discussion about that. Alan raised an eyebrow but didn't pry.<br>"You haven't answered my question about where I am." He said as Lissandra gave a sigh, agitated. "I've already told you, you're in my lair."

"And where would that be?"  
>"To the farthest north that your mortal mind can comprehend, past the Howling Abyss, which, if I may add, was where you and your friends fell to your doom. Well, except you. You survived, whether by stroke of luck or pure chance. It's a hundred degrees under zero down there, so I've got no idea why you didn't freeze either." Lissandra said, curiousity taking a place in her mind as she pondered that small fact, tilting her head to the side.<p>

"The cold doesn't bother me." Alan said casually, shrugging. Lissandra kept staring at him, not getting the literal meaning of his sentence.  
>"If you don't mind me asking… Why did you freak out when I reached out to grab you?" Alan asked, eyebrows furrowing as he watched Lissandra pulled her arms closer to her self-consciously.<p>

"Iceborn cannot touch mortals. Not without causing the human searing pain from frost burn. It's also quite painful for us as well ." Lissandra said in a lower-than-usual tone, obviously dissatisfied with that fact.  
>Now Alan was the one feeling curious. He had a sudden urge to reach over and touch her while she was distracted, obviously thinking of something. But he pushed it down before saying, "Is the blizzard still raging on?"<p>

Lissandra perked her head up at him when she realized he had asked her something. Then, she nodded, "Yes. It's gotten worse, even my Iceborn was forced back in. Visibility has fallen to near blindness. I do not think you can go back in this situation." She said as Alan sighed, shaking his head at his bad luck.  
>"How long do these things last?"<p>

"Here in the Freljord, they can last for weeks."

"Great."  
>"Even if it wasn't storming outside, I do not think I would allow you to go right now." Lissandra said, causing Alan to raise an eyebrow.<br>"Uh.. Why is that?"

"You're badly injured and because I have taken you into my abode, you are also under my hospitality. It would be poor hospitality if I let you go out on your own with a few broken ribs and a cracked head." Lissandra stated as Alan's eyes widened, looking down at his chest, which ached dully. So that's why he was hurting so bad when the muscles in that area stretched.

"Oh… Oh..." Alan murmured, poking his injury gingerly, hissing as he poked it too hard.  
>"Stop that." Lissandra chastised as Alan stopped, the last of his adrenaline wearing off as the full force of how sore he was hit him again. His face fell as he groaned, slowly lying back down on the sofa. "I think… I think I'm gonna get some more shuteye…" He muttered as Lissandra nodded. "I shall leave you here then." She said, before walking to one side of the room. Alan noticed that the flat ice on the wall he had first thought was just a wall actually held a door, which Lissandra opened with a simple push with her hands. Gliding inside, the doors closed behind her, moments before his own eyes closed. The next few weeks would have to be spent in here… Wherever 'here' was. Alan knew that whatever happened, it was going to be nothing short of interesting.<p>

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><p><strong>So, what do you think of the story so far? Please leave your thoughts and comments on the story in the reviews below. You don't need an account to review here, so be sure to say whatever you want to say. Just don't be rude, no one likes an ass unless it's me [I'm an awesome ass].<br>**  
><strong>Cheers<br>- Wings.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello everyone and welcome back to another chapter of this story.**

**I must say, I didn't expect such a response from so many people. Looks like a Lissandra story was really expected, eh? Ah well, I'll try not to disappoint and I'd like to thank all of you for taking the time to review.**

**Now, whether you're a regular reader of my stories or someone who doesn't know me aside from me being the writer of this story, I have a news to share. It's also on my profile.  
>Basically, I'm going through alot of personal problems involving my education and future exams so I might be very very infrequent on updating.<strong>

**Anyway, enjoy the story.**

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><p><span><strong>In her Icy Embrace<strong>

**Chapter 1: How he held.**

Everything was black, until, slowly but surely, his consciousness returned. Alan opened his eyes hesitantly, blinking a couple of times to clear his vision of the residual blurriness of sleep. Focusing on the ceiling, he realized he was still on the sofa he had fallen asleep in. Getting up, he winced. The pain in his head had dissipated, but his ribs gave a dull throb of pain, protesting him getting up.

Looking around the room, his eyes landed on the section of wall which was actually a door. Now that he wasn't as distracted by pain as he was before, he realized that the walls and ceilings of the cave, although recognizable as being part of a cave, was too flawless in some ways to be considered natural. The doorways and walls were nearly all flawlessly flat and strong, the floor smooth like marble. Only the ceiling was bumpy and random, like the ceiling of a normal cave, minus any stalactites. Everything was colored in a light blue/cyan theme, including most of the furniture, some of which was outright white. Light was emanating from various dark blue crystals around the room, bathing the room in white light instead of blue light that its appearance hinted at.

Standing up, Alan took a few moments to make sure his entire body was awake and responding properly before beginning to walk out of the room, eager to explore this new place he was in. Outside of the room he was in, he found a long corridor. The room he had come out of was at one end of the corridor, so a long hallway stretched out infront of him. He began walking down the length of the corridor, noticing random closed doors here and there. Every now and then, a new hallway branched off of the main one that he was in, but he stuck to the one he was traversing in. The last thing he needed was to get lost here.

He found a door which was cracked open a bit and walked up to it, leaning forward to peek through the crack. He didn't really manage to see anything within the room, and as he was trying to get a better viewing angle, the door suddenly opened. Alan jumped at the sudden appearance of another person on the other side of the door, who also started at Alan's sudden appearance.

"By the ancients, boy, what are you doing?" A man asked him. The man had light blue skin, similar to how that woman, Lissandra's skin was. He wore dark blue armor, large plates of blue colored ice making up most of the heavy armor. The man also looked a bit intimidating in an athletic way. He was 2 inches taller than Alan, who was a good 6 feet, and had a muscular yet lean figure. His armor hid most of his body, but his face, smooth as it was, carried an expression that only veterans could show. A large scar went across his face, from the top corner of his left eyebrow to the bottom of his jaw on the right side of his face, over his nose. His eyes were a very dark shade of blue and his hair was, as expected, white.

"Er, Sorry, I was just curious." Alan said sheepishly as the man looked him up and down. "You're that human that her majesty rescued from the avalanche." The man stated as Alan's brows furrowed at the term 'her majesty' before he nodded. Was she really a queen?

"Yeah, that's me. Name's Alan." Alan said, feeling slightly uncomfortable from the way the man was staring at him, like a predator studying it's prey.

" Manners? You must be an outsider to the Freljord. I wouldn't expect anything from the Barbarian clans except to simply grunt and swing something heavy, and her majesty would just torture and kill anyone from the Avarosans instead of taking them under her hospitality." The man said, giving him a once-over again. "My name is Reinhart and I'm Queen Lissandra's Congelate Elite." He introduced, as Alan raised an eyebrow.

"Congelate Elite?" Alan inquired, slowly pronouncing the first word so as to get it right.  
>"Yes. Basically, it means I'm leading her royal guard as well as her army. You could say I'm her second-in-command." He said, now losing the predatory glean in his eyes, looking at Alan in a skeptical view now. "How are your ribs?"<p>

Alan half-shrugged, "They've been better. Sore and hurts every now and then, but atleast it's no longer debilitating." He said as Reinhart gave a smile, although with his appearance, it seemed frigid. Pun not intended.

"Well, look around all you want, just don't go running into every room without knocking first. Also, avoid touching any dark ice. You'll burn yourself." Reinhart said, using the forefinger on his right hand to tap a large dark-ice plate on the front of his armor. "Try not to get skin-on-skin contact with other Iceborn as well. It burns us both and although it's not a lasting injury, it's quite painful." Reinhard said, clapping Alan on the shoulder. Reinhart's hand was covered by his gauntlet and Alan's t-shirt was another layer over his skin, so Alan didn't feel burned. Reinhart really had meant it when he said skin-on-skin, so with a last nod at Alan, Reinhart walked off, his large blue cape swishing out behind him.

Alan watched the man go before looking inside the room that Reinhart had come out from. It seemed to be sort of a huge training room. Alan's eyebrows shot up when he thought about how big their cave must be. The entire room was the size of a football field, with a lot of iceborn training here and there. There were a few rings where spars were occurring, trainees using wooden weapons while the experts clashed actual blades, some of the blades made of dark ice. Alan watched with awe as two men, dressed in similar clothing to what Reinhart wore under his armor, clashed blades of dark ice, blue sparks flying. The first fighter pushed the other back with a grunt, swinging his sword outwards before drawing it in, the point aimed for the second fighter. Fighter 2, who noticed the stance, instantly sidestepped to his right as Fighter 1 thrust his sword forward, the air becoming visible as the cold ice cut through it. Fighter 2 instantly retaliated by swinging his sword at Fighter 1's exposed left side, but Fighter 1 reacted fast as he brought his right arm to his left, bringing his sword up backwards to block the slash. The blades clashed again as both combatants exchanged grins of enjoyment before disengaging, beginning to circle one another again.

Alan broke out of the trance he was caught in watching the two elites spar. He had always wanted to wield a sword expertly, but he never got the chance. So with a last wistful look at everyone, he turned around and walked out…. and almost bumped into Lissandra.

The woman visibly started, almost jumping back as she flung her arm forward at him, about to fire more icicles no doubt. But she paused, noticing that it was Alan, who seemed almost as surprised.

"I guess I'm just running into everyone today." He said as Lissandra, who was still wearing that mask, seemed to glance at the room he had just come out of.  
>"What were you doing there? I thought I told you to take it easy." She said, obviously displeased by him disobeying. Alan raised an eyebrow, "I didn't really do anything. I simply felt the need to explore and found this room. I also ran into Reinhart." He said as Lissandra seemed to grimace, her lips tightening for a moment.<p>

"Yes. Reinhart." Lissandra muttered, as she let out a breath through her nose. "I've been looking for you." She said as Alan's curiosity piqued.

"Uh, well, you found me." Alan stated as Lissandra's lip twitched. It seemed like she wasn't used to being referred or addressed to so casually.

"First off, I want to… Apologize for our last meeting. I understand I'd been a bit too aggressive." Lissandra muttered as Alan waved it off. "No hard feelings." He said as Lissandra continued, "I'm just getting a bit paranoid. I should tell you this since you are residing here for the time being; We're at war."

Alan's eyebrows raised. "At war? With who? Noxus?" He asked as Lissandra began walking, Alan falling into step beside her. She was wearing some type of dress, dark blue in color, reaching to the floor so it seemed like she was gliding again.

"No, we're at war with two tribes of the Freljord. The Avarosans and the Barbarians." Lissandra said as Alan raised an eyebrow.  
>"Avarosans… Do you mean the group led by Ashe?" He asked as Lissandra looked at him, or atleast, seemed to look at him. The mask made it hard to tell.<p>

"Yes… How do you know of her?" Lissandra asked skeptically.  
>"She came to visit Piltover once, I still remember. She represented Freljord in a meeting of every nation's ambassadors." Alan said truthfully as Lissandra visibly bristled.<br>"Yes… She always was an usurping brat. When I get my hands on her, I'll make her and her oaf of a husband pay a hundred times over." She said in a seething way as Alan stayed quiet, icy blue eyes clouded over in thought. "Everyone calls you "her majesty" and you did tell me you're the true Queen of the North. Is that why you are at war with Ashe? Because she's stealing your throne?" He asked as Lissandra nodded. "Yes." She simply replied.  
>"Regardless, our scouts have spotted a small party heading for us and a battle might happen. As my guest, I request that you stay inside." She said as Alan frowned at that, but nodded. He didn't feel right letting everyone else fight while he sat here.<p>

They returned to the room Alan had slept in, realizing this was sort of like a part of Lissandra's private quarters. The other door must lead to her bedroom, Alan thought. "I forgot to mention, this will be your quarters while you stay here." She said, pointing to a bare section of wall on another wall. Alan looked at it for a few moments before he saw the same tell-tale lines that outlined a barely visible door. Walking over to it, he pushed the door open with a hand, the door silently gliding open to reveal and modestly sized room. It was quite bare other than a bed, a bookcase, a desk and chair and an end-table.

As Alan inspected the room, Lissandra worked on putting her armor on, taking the pieces off the mannequin and clasping them onto her robe in the appropriate areas. When Alan turned around to look at her again, she was pulling her gloves on, the other armor pieces already in place.

"Stay within the castle." She said, as Reinhart walked into the room.  
>"Queen Lissandra, We have identified the approaching group belonging to the barbarian tribe. They show banners of the Winter's Claw. Although we have not spotted Sejuani among the fray, they it's not just a small attack party. There's around 200 soldiers and at least 10 of them are astride warboars." Reinhart said in the deep, gravelly voice that he had as Lissandra nodded.<p>

"Mobilize the Congelate Elite. We shall not lower our guard just because they send a raiding party at us instead of a fullscale army. We shall make them regret that." Lissandra stated as Reinhart bowed, before leaving with a swish of his cape again.

"Why are you going out to fight?" Alan asked, raising an eyebrow. From what he gathered so far, which wasn't much, Lissandra was a Queen to these people. "As the queen, don't you think you should stay out of the battle?" He added as Lissandra turned around to face him. Then, unexpectedly, she smiled at him.

"I maybe many things, Alan. I admit it, I have a lot of bad qualities as well as strong points. But I will not let my people fight for someone who won't fight beside them." She said with a strange determination in her voice. With that, she turned around and left Alan, who was standing frozen with wide eyes at her unexpected display of…. What could he call it? Loyalty to her people? Determination to keep them safe with her own hands? Whatever it was, Alan admired it.

The sounds of battle didn't reach into the castle that Alan was in. Everything seemed deserted, except for an iceborn here and there, patrolling the halls but rarely did he see them. Alan wandered the halls, exploring the ice-cave slash castle, when he happened upon a very, very large room. It seemed to be the entrance to the cave, and it was huge. Double doors 3 times bigger than Alan were on the wall across the room from him, with windows above it that revealed the light from outside, howling winds echoing in the vast hall. As Alan witnessed the grandeur, two Iceborn guards suddenly came running out of a side passage. A bunch more came running out from where Alan had come from, passing him by.

"What's going on!?" Alan asked, surprised by the sudden panic in the air. A guard stopped to look at him with wide eyes underneath his helmet.

"The battle was a trap, Lady Lissandra is retreating and we need to protect her when she comes!" He answered as Alan's eyes widened. But he owed Lissandra. She had saved his life and given him refuge.

"I want to help."

"We can always use more sword arms. The armory is down the hall, to your right. Don't take any dark ice weapons, you'll burn yourself." The guard said before he ran down the stairs to help his brethren, who were pulling the door open. A blast of white wind struck Alan as he retreated back into the hallway, running down the length of the corridor until he happened upon the afore-mentioned door to his right. He opened it, revealing a long room filled with weapon racks. As Alan ran in, he was suddenly struck by a pulse.

He stopped, eyes wide as he ceased all movements, freezing in mid-run. He raised his head, looking forward to see another door at the end of the room…

An insane urge was within him. He had to go into that room. Someone or something was calling him. Like he was hypnotized, Alan slowly walked down the room, ignoring all the weapons and armor around him. He stopped infront of the room, slowly raising his right hand. He touched the surface gingerly, tracing the ornate design on it when the door suddenly lit up from his touch, a pulse going through the door, lighting up the runic symbols that adorned the door as it passed. Then, with an unexpected but very eerie silence, the door glided open. Inside was a very large block of ice, perhaps 10 ft tall. Steps spiraled around it, leading to the top which was flat. Alan continued walking, going into the room before tentatively putting one foot on the icy step. It wasn't slippery, so Alan started ascending, not knowing why he was doing this. He just felt something calling him to climb it, something powerful.

When he reached the top, he saw a sword protruding from the ice. It was half embedded into the ice, but it looked so… beautiful. It had entranced Alan as he looked at it. It was a long, elegant blade with jagged edges, with a black handle that ended in a dark blue crystal pommel, sharp enough to be used as a secondary stabbing weapon. The guard was also black, one side coming up like the arch of a wing while the other dipped straight down, somewhat of a brace which would rest against the back of the wielders hand as well as guard it. The blade itself was even more gorgeous, black metal extending out of the handle for half the length of the blade, thinning out greatly near the end of it's 2 ft length, the last few inches embedded into the ice. But it looked… Wrong. Incomplete. The black blade had a jagged and unorthodox edge, jutting out or dipping in down the sharp edge like it was a broken blade. Blue crystals adorned the guard, glowing dimly.

Alan walked upto it, slowly and hesitantly extending his hand for the sword, which seemed to be calling to him. His shaking fingers hovered uncertainly over the handle… And then, he closed his hands, gripping the sword hard and pulled it out of the ice. Something surged within Alan as the blue glowing crystals within the hilt dimmed down.

Before Alan could spend more time examining this, he heard a tremendous crash from the entrance hall. He ran for it, taking 3 steps at a time down the ice pillar before rushing out of the armoury and back towards the entrance hall.

It was chaos, iceborn were fighting humans everywhere. But Alan's eyes landed on Lissandra, who was locked in battle with another woman. Lissandra threw icicles rapidly, conjuring them in the air as fast as she launched them, but the woman was agile, her cape flying behind her as she ran in a circle around Lissandra, hood falling back from the wind. White hair flew as the woman jumped, kicking off the wall and flipping over in the air, suddenly firing a volley of arrows from the bow in her hand while upside down in mid-flip, blue eyes shooting a piercing gaze at Lissandra. A large slab of ice jutted out infront of Lissandra, but it shattered as the arrows hit it, showering Lissandra with sharp fragments of ice. Alan lost all coherent thoughts and ran forward, the urge to help Lissandra overtaking all other thoughts. But as he ran through the fray, a man suddenly charged him, shoulder-tackling him to the ground.

Alan fell with a thump, looking up to see the man over him, raising his mace to strike Alan. Alan rolled to the right, dodging the mace as it smashed into the floor. Standing up, Alan let out an aggressive cry as he ran at the man, his inexperience clear in the way he charged. But his weapon struck the man right in the shoulder. The man screamed as smoke hissed from where his blade had made contact, the blood spurting out and freezing right as it did. But the black sword, as beautiful as it was, didn't do much damage, the blade too dull or too badly designed to do much damage. Wrenching the sword out, Alan jumped back as the man swung his mace at him in a wide horizontal arc. Before Alan could retaliate, another iceborn shoved a spear through his attacker's chest, swinging the dying man into another. That Iceborn was suddenly stabbed in the gut by a sword, blood spurting out of the wound before the man began to freeze into ice, originating at the wound.

Alan didn't stop to see the entire death, continuing to run forward. He passed Reinhart, who seemed to be locked in combat with a woman riding a very large boar and swinging a very dangerous flail.

Closing in, Alan saw that it was none other than Ashe who Lissandra was engaged in combat with. The Frost Archer had several cuts here and there, but Lissandra was in worse shape. She had 3 arrows, the shaft broken off, embedded into her left shoulder, and part of her mask was cracked, revealing one bright blue eye, similarly colored as her brightly glowing hands. Both paused as Alan ran upto them, forming a triangle. Ashe's eyes widened. So did Lissandra's. Both of their eyes stared at Alan's hands, at the sword he was holding.

"Impossible." Ashe said as Lissandra stared at him incomprehensibly. Then, suddenly, Ashe let loose 2 arrows at Alan in rapid succession. Everything suddenly slowed down as Alan watched the arrows fly at him, knowing that death was approaching him in the form of those arrows. His sword was not long enough to block them both but he raised in anyways. Fear flooded his veins, but the desperation that he experienced, the insane desire to continue living, to not die, flooded him even more, washing over the fear. Something inside of him was pulled viciously.

The air around him dropped to extreme cold as the water vapor instantly froze and gathered around the blade blade. Within a split second, he held a perfect 3 ft long sword, completed by dark blue ice now making up the incomplete portion of the sword. The newly added length and width blocked both of the arrows as Ashe's eyes widened further.

"FALL BACK!" Ashe cried out, suddenly surrounded by her soldiers as they all retreated, shouting calls of retreat. The iceborn around Alan cheered even as Alan's eyes met Lissandra, who was still staring at him in a shocked way. The cheering ended like a wave of silence as they saw Alan, standing infront of the great open doors, wielding a black and sapphire colored blade as he stared incomprehensibly at everyone.

"What's wrong?" He asked, meeting their stares. Reinhart was also staring at him with wide eyes.

"You're a Cryomancer?" Reinhart asked, as Alan blinked. "A what?"  
>"A Cryomancer. Someone who can control the ice. Someone like Queen Lissandra." He explained, still staring at Alan in surprise as Alan frowned.<p>

"How do… How would I even… I can't control ice." He stated as Reinhart tilted his head. "Even more surprising, the ice isn't burning you." Reinhart commented as Alan looked down at his hand gripping the black handle. Now that he thought about it, he recalled the man he struck with the black blade having been frostburned on contact.

"It's something I've had since birth… I'm not affected by the cold." He said, feeling very uncomfortable as everyone stared at him. "But maybe I am a Cryomancer, although a very weak one since I can't control ice. I'm sure there are loads of other people that can do that."

"No…. Cryomancers are extremely rare. Queen Lissandra was thought to be the only one in the past centuries. Frig Ascutis can only be wielded by an exceptionally strong Cryomancer." Reinhart explained, shaking his head in disbelief as a small laugh escaped him. "I can't believe this… Frig Ascutis… Drawn by a simple human… You are someone special, aren't you?" He said, still shaking his head in amusement as he walked away, the soldiers parting to let him through. "What are you all gawking at? Give the man some space, he just saved all your sorry asses!" He shouted as he walked up the stairs, the soldiers all jumping at his voice before hastening to clear the hall.

Lissandra was still staring at him, studying him as Alan looked at her uncertainly. The dark ice making up the rest of his blade shattered, falling down into pieces, leaving him with the black blade again as Alan glanced down at it. "Is it… Supposed to do that?" He asked as Lissandra blinked at him.

"We need to talk." She stated, still surprised from the sound of her tone.

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><p><strong>So, I hope this chapter wasn't as bad as the prologue chapter xD I suck at introductory chapters, so bear with me here. Anyway, leave your thoughts, comments andor questions in the reviews below. Remember, you don't need an account to review and leave me your words of wisdom, whether they be a huge essay on how much you loved my story or how i could improve or whether they be something a zen master would say like "the best authors have ice for hair, young grasshopper"**

**Thanks for reading!**

**-Wings**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello everyone and welcome to another chapter of IHIE.**

**First off, I'd like to thank all of you for reading my story, especially those of you who reviewed! You guys are my primary reason for using the time allocated for my recreation to work on this instead. Ofcourse, this is a form of recreation as well. I'm very happy to say that this story has already gathered 1320 views, 14 favourites, 32 alerts and a whopping 27 reviews! Wow, that's alot. Hopefully this will get as many views as my other two stories, Darkness Rising and The Shadow that watches [approx 30k views].**

**Also, to Leli; I didn't write the story in bold font and it doesn't show up as such in the web page. But I've noticed this error occuring when viewing the story in cell phones, for some reason. I dunno, it happens randomly.**

**Anyway, hope you guys enjoy the story!**

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><p><span><strong>In her Icy Embrace<strong>

**Chapter 2: How he learned.**

His eyes first landed on the now familiar couch in the living room which acted as a common space between his and Lissandra's room as they entered. As soon as the door behind them closed, Alan turned around to face Lissandra. "You're hurt. You need to take care of those injuries first."

Lissandra turned to look at him, her single visible eye focusing on him. He focused on her visible eye as well, noting how it looked distant and had the slightest tinge of sorrow within its azure depths. The color of the eye itself wasn't just blue either. Whereas Alan's eyes were icy blue, rimmed with silvery white so that it was a very bright color, her eyes were a darker and slightly duller shade of periwinkle, slightly sinister but mainly mysterious; like a door behind which untold secrets lay. A door which no one had reached towards before.

They hadn't realized they had been staring at each other until Lissandra blinked, turning her head away from him. Alan just noticed now that Lissandra was just an inch shorter than him. He didn't have to look down at her, but with her imposing aura always swirling around her, she had looked bigger than him at first. Now, as she was weary and worn after a battle, she looked like a regular woman, aside from her blue skin.

"Tch, It's nothing serious." She scoffed, trying to put off his worries with an air of arrogance and nonchalance, like she was gesturing that 'Yeah, I've had much worse than this!'

"Serious or not, You need to get that looked at." Alan said with a new firm tone in his voice that he hadn't known he had before. Lissandra seemed slightly surprised by it as well, looking up at him in a slightly surprised way before nodding. She retreated to her room without another word, as Alan took a few steps back and plopped down on the couch, suddenly feeling exhausted. He drew the small black broken sword from a belt hoop of his pants, which he had turned into a make-shift mount, and inspected it.

Like he had first laid eyes on it, it was both beautiful and tragic. Elegant yet flawed. Complete, yet broken.

_Just like a certain woman you have come to know._

Alan shook his head to clear it of thoughts about Lissandra, focusing on the sword instead. He ran his hand down the side of the black sword, feeling the etching that was drawn into the side of the blade. It was in an ancient language that he did not recognize, probably the same language that most of the Iceborn knew. But he recalled what Reinhart had called the sword. It took him a few seconds to perfectly recall it, but when he did, he felt it on the tip of his tongue, waiting to spring out. But he felt like once he said its name, he'd cross a door he would not be able to go back through again. Hardening his resolve, as always, Alan took a step through the door and into the unknown.

"Frig Ascutis." He murmured. The sword seemed to pulse within his hands, like it was reacting to him saying it's name. It was slightly bemusing that the sword did not burn him…. Did that mean?

Gently, Alan lowered the sword onto the coffee table infront of him, standing up before walking over to one of the large pieces of dark ice which provided light. Hesitantly, he raised his right hand, reaching out for it, his pale hand shaking slightly with trepidation. If he turned out to be wrong in his guess, he'd receive a very painful burn, as both Lissandra and Reinhart had warned him about. Once again, Alan's explorer instincts gave him the shove that came from the push.

He thrust his hand forward the last few inches, so he palmed the ice, wincing instinctively. But it wasn't burning his hand. On the contrary, it felt like anything cold or freezing felt to him; just mildly cold. Pleasantly so. He began running his hand over it, like it was a living creature, petting it as a small smile of accomplishment broke into his face.

The door to Lissandra's room opened without a sound again, but he felt her presence when it did so he turned around to look at her then raised an eyebrow. She was wearing a loose blue dress, full sleeved and reaching down to the floor as usual, with light blue intricate designs on the hems. The V neck had crisscrossing string on it like a corset, pulling it closed down to her stomach, although it opened up high enough to reveal part of her collar bone. Above that, was a scarf. She had wrapped a scarf around her neck and head and face like a hooded mask, keeping her features hidden from him. Only her eyes, blue and slightly sparkly, was revealed to him as they glanced at him before she moved briskly to the mannequin. She placed her cracked and damaged armor on it and the mannequin suddenly glowed once. Infront of his eyes, the broken parts of the armor began to fix themselves. It was a very slow process, however, perhaps millimeter by millimeter. Afterwards, Lissandra walked over to one of the sofas and took a seat, gesturing for Alan to join her. He did, sitting down on the one opposite to her, taking the sword into his hands again.

"May I?" Lissandra asked, holding a hand out as Alan nodded, extending the sword, hilt first, to her. She took it, raising it up to inspect it.

"It's called Frig Ascutis, right?" He asked. Lissandra nodded. "It's written in the Ancient Language. It's translation would be Cold Edge, as in, the Cold Edge of Death or perhaps just because it is one of the coldest weapons in existence." She explained as Alan raised an eyebrow.  
>"Well, why hasn't anyone used it before?" He asked.<p>

"Only a Cryomancer can wield it. You need to have the power to freeze the air around the sword to complete it's blade, like you did when Ashe fired arrows at you." She said, eyes narrowing at the name.

"Why don't you wield it?" He asked. Lissandra's eyes darkened as well as narrowed, then she averted his gaze, as if she was slightly ashamed and bitter. "The sword rejected me."

Alan didn't pry further, instead choosing to remain silent for a few moments before another question came into his mind.

"Wait… I thought the Winter's Claw and the Avarosans were also at war with each other?" He asked, frowning as he looked up at Lissandra. Her eyes darkened with distaste as she said, "Yes. That's what everyone thought as well. Guess they knew who the bigger threat was and joined together to try and take me out first." Alan could almost see her smile bitterly under the mask.

"So… What now?" He asked as Lissandra looked up at him, giving him a few moments of silence to elaborate. "Er… I mean, now that I've drawn this frozen Excalibur, what happens to me?" He said as Lissandra's eyes twinkled with amusement.

"As I first thought, you're smart enough to not let anything past you. Well, now that you've drawn a sword of legends, you are most likely the only one who could help us win this war. Help me take my rightful place as queen." Lissandra said.

"Well, that'll be a problem, seeing as how I have absolutely no combat training or experience. Nor can I conjure up ice like you do." Alan said, somewhat disappointed in his lack of ability. The way the corner of Lissandra's eyes moved, Alan knew with certainty that she was smiling. "Well, it's a good thing we have people who can help you get better."

Alan perked his head up. Ever since he was a young boy, he wanted to wield a sword. To be someone. To be a legend or a hero. Now, every dream he had about those was presented to him in an icy platter and it suddenly seemed like so much. It seemed overwhelming, like facing one of Piltover's freight carriers speeding at you on the flux lines. Yet again, Alan's instincts, the instinct that made him sign up to be an explorer, the instinct that led him through his life upto this point, won out again. The instinct of taking the jump and not looking back.

The resolve hardening within him was visible in his eyes as Alan stood up abrubtly, Lissandra herself taken aback momentarily.

"What do I have to do?" Alan asked. Lissandra smiled again, knowing that she had just successfully secured someone who could just help her win this war against those wretched Avarosans and the barbarians. Little did Alan know, he had just walked right into Lissandra's plans of using him.

…

"Again." Reinhart said as Alan panted, sweat running down his body. He was shirtless, his top thrown onto the floor outside the sparring square, already drenched with sweat. His body was what was expected of a 24 year old explorer; athletically fit, lean muscles making up most of his body, the slightest signs of a 4-pack peeking through his slim abdomen. He held a wooden sword out infront of him with both hands, his grip unsteady as his great heaving breaths wracked his body, making his hands sway up and down with each gasp. Reinhart was standing absolutely still, like he wasn't even breathing, a wooden sword held lazily up in one hand.

Too late; Reinhart darted forward, dashing past Alan and smacking the wooden sword on the back of Alan's right leg. Alan hissed in pain, being forced down to one knee as Reinhart spun around right behind Alan, bringing the sword around. He turned the sword at the last second, so the flat side of the sword smacked against Alan's already sore left side. It was still hard enough to throw Alan off of his unstable kneel, the explorer falling down onto the mat with a groan of pain, not knowing where to clutch as every part of his body hurt. He had probably been bruised everywhere as Reinhart turned and regarded him coolly. "You know that if you don't attack me, I'll come at you." The man said as Alan forced himself onto his front, bracing his hands on the padded floor.

"How long… are we gonna… keep this up…?" Alan said through gritted teeth, speaking inbetween pained hisses of breaths as he slowly forced himself up. Unsteadily, he got up, bringing the sword up and getting into the basic stance Reinhart had showed him. Both hands gripping the hilt, held out infront of him at waist level, the sword tilted forward just a bit, legs spaced out, right foot forward.

"We're gonna go at it until you learn or until you pass out." Reinhart stated simply as Alan focused on the man infront of him. Maybe this time, he would succeed. After all, every story he read in his days spent at the library, he found that the protagonist would always learn it after getting knocked down 20 times. Wasn't he the protagonist of his own story? He felt a rush of energy inside of him. Surely, he would do it this time.

He charged with a roar of triumph and a few seconds later, he dropped onto his back on the ground, his sword skittering away from him as he tried to inhale to replace the air that was knocked out of his lungs. Reinhart was still standing where he had stood, his left leg still raised with the knee bent slightly from having used it to counter Alan's charge.

"Reckless. You charge like that again, your opponent will simply let you run into his sword instead of his knee." Reinhart stated as Alan groaned, feeling like his stomach had liquefied from the kick. Again, Alan turned around to his front, flopping down like a fish before he began pushing himself up.

"Well, I'll give you this; You're stubborn." Reinhart said as he watched Alan stand up again, this time supporting himself with his hands on his knees to force himself to stand straight.

"Thanks…" Alan muttered as Reinhart raised an eyebrow.

"That wasn't a compliment." He replied as Alan snorted through his nose in slight amusement.

This time, Alan cautiously watched Reinhart, falling into his stance. _Right foot forward, left foot back… Right foot tense, slightly bent, use it as a pivot. Left foot loose, use it to step._

Reinhart charged, Alan seeing it this time as he used his right foot to kick off, taking a hurried step backwards to make Reinhart's slash miss, the wooden sword slashing the air infront of Alan, who had now turned his left foot into the forward pivot, seeing his chance at retaliation. He pushed forward with this back right foot, taking a stutter-step with his forward left foot as he slashed down at the Reinhart's extended sword.

The tip of his blade smacked Reinhart's sword right where the blade met the guard, the force jerking it out of Reinhart's hands as the sword clattered to the ground. Alan grinned at his successful disarming, until he remembered what Reinhart had said about skilled disarmed opponents not hesitating after they were disarmed. Alan raised his head just in time to see the spinning kick fly at his face.

_Fu-_

_.._

He groaned, waking up slowly as he first registered the comfortable bed he was lying in. Opening his eyes to the dark room, he pushed himself up to a sitting position, the dark ice lights in the room automatically brightening to illuminate the room. It took his battered mind to realize that he was in his room. To his right, on the end table beside his bed, a small flask with red liquid sat next to a small saucer and a teaspoon. The flask was half empty, so someone must've spoon fed him when he was asleep. From the slightly tangy taste of cherry and the minty taste of some herbal concoction, he figured that this was one of those healing potions that a lot of military organizations used to heal minimal to moderate injuries. For some reason, thinking about Reinhart kneeling beside him and spoon feeding him with a caring, loving, non-Reinhart expression on his face made Alan want to throw up.

The doors to his room slid open as Lissandra walked, or rather, floated in, her graceful movements always seeming surreal to him. She was still wearing the scarf, though it looked like it had been put on hastily as opposed to before.

"You're awake. I believe you feel okay now after a good rest?" She asked, her blue eyes inspecting him for injuries, though they lingered on his bared torso for a moment too long. She blinked as Alan raised an eyebrow.

"Uh, yeah, thanks for patching me up again." Alan said nervously, averting his gaze and scratching the back of his head.

"Who said I was the one who patched you up?" Lissandra asked in a tone which seemed like…. Embarrassment? Was she actually shy?

"You didn't?" Alan asked, the slight twinges of horror making it's way into his mind, the image of a creepy Reinhart with a nurse hat on swimming into his mind.

"Uh… Yes, I did." Lissandra said, averting her eyes and suddenly taking an interest on the empty desk on the other side of the room. "It's not like I wanted to patch you up… I'm simply responsible for your well-being since you were forced into this when you were under my shelter…"

Alan could swear he saw a slight pink tinge under Lissandra's eyes, the slightest part of her cheeks visible through the scarf as his eyes widened slightly. Lissandra glanced at him again and noticed him staring at him, getting even more worked up as her shoulders went rigid. "Stop staring at me like that, you idiot!" She cried out in indignation, turning around and storming out of the room in embarrassment, her long white hair, which was undone, trailing behind her. Alan was still shocked at her sudden change in behavior. She had seemed like such a cold, focused woman…. And now, here she was, acting like a shy young girl. He blinked a couple of times, still frozen even though the doors had long closed, before he realized what he was doing. A flush crept up his own face, thank god he was alone now, as he plopped back down onto his bed, groaning.

…

**[A/N: Sorry about that tsundere moment guys, I just had to do it xD ]**

…

Lissandra was wearing her usual blue robe and mask. Like a switch, she had suddenly become cold and indifferent again, watching Alan impassively as he entered the special room that had been cleared out for his practice.

"So, we'll just pretend like today morning never happened?" Alan asked as Lissandra's lips thinned in a silent, displeased affirmation. Alan took up a position infront of her. Today, he was wearing clothes provided to him by one of the iceborn servants. He didn't see who it was, but found the clothes lain out on his desk. It was a loose blue top, half-sleeved for ease-of-movement. Long dark blue trousers covered his lower half, with a belt tied around the waist, a custom mount on the side so he can carry his sword with him. Currently ,it was right there, mounted on his left side.

"Cryomancy is an ancient branch of magic. As all ancients, it gathers power from 3 different sources." Lissandra said, raising her right hand, forefinger up. "A pool of magical energy stored within all beings called Mana. Most creatures have negligible amounts while the ones who actually have a usable pool tend to become mages."  
>She raised a second finger.<br>"Your emotions. It provides much greater power than your mana pool can provide and it goes as long as your willpower can take you. But it is also very unpredictable, and therefore, dangerous and hard to master."

Finally, she raised a third finger.  
>"The last source of energy you can gather for ancient magic is from items from the ancient times. Objects borne of such magic usually provide a huge source of magic for use, but these objects also have a limit, similar to Mana. Unlike Mana, however, these objects cannot recharge the energy taken from them, so the user must pour his own mana into the object for storage and later usage. Think of it like a reserve."<p>

Lissandra lowered her face so she seemed to be looking at his sword.

"Frig Ascutis is one such item. Unlike Mana or Emotions, the power you can use from an item is not limited to your physical or mental form. You can unleash all the energy stored within the object at once, usually creating devastating power. I suggest you do not do so with Frig Ascutis, as it has been given the power of Iceborn present and past for the last few millennia."

Alan suddenly felt uneasy about the black, broken but beautiful sword resting on his hip. "Er… So you mean, Frig Ascutis has a huge storage of power?"

Lissandra gave a cold smile, "I'm saying that if you try to release all the power stored within this sword, you could just obliterate the entire Freljord in one giant release of power. But, use it sparingly, and it can become your greatest ally. However, you need to pour some of your own mana into it at the end of everyday, to keep it charged." She explained.

"How will I know if I run out of charge?" Alan asked as Lissandra seemed to roll her eyes behind her mask.  
>"I'll teach you a basic trick. But first, you need to reach deep inside of yourself…"<p>

A minute later, Alan was sitting on the floor, cross legged, both of his hands resting on his knees on their respective sides, his eyes closed, back straight as he sought the pool of energy lying within him.

"It's there… I know it is there… You know it is there… All you need to do is find it… And set it free." Lissandra whispered, Alan suppressing a shudder at her breathy voice. It seemed like she was right behind him, her lips inches away from his ear as she spoke, but he couldn't lose focus yet.

He searched inside of him, searching for what she had described. Imagining that his body was a warm furnace, a desert while he sought an oasis within it, an oasis of icy cold water that would be his salvation… Reaching in…

There.

He found a cold spot within himself. Like a sphere, at the very center of his body. His mind's hand reached out for it, gently touching it with the tip of his mental fingers… And it exploded outwards.

Alan took a long, deep inhale as he felt the power reach out throughout his entire body, filling all his veins with a cool hum. He felt like he was a handicapped man suddenly growing back a limb, like a blind person finally being able to open his eyes and see. It felt so new… Yet felt so familiar. His eyes had opened but he hadn't realized it. Lissandra was standing infront of him, not moving at all. Her aura seemed… Surprised.

"Well. You must've used your mana before, haven't you?" She asked as Alan raised an eyebrow.

"Well.. I guess. I wasn't conscious of its existence before, but I have done some minor things that I think were magic… Like directing the flow of snow falling from the sky, or perhaps lowering the temperature around myself." He muttered, staring at his hands like he was seeing them for the first time, flexing them and feeling them.

"That explains it… Although training with your magic is the only way to increase the total amount of mana that resides within you, the first time you use it, the mana becomes reactive. Then, the longer you go without using it, the more potent and stronger it gets. Right now, you're glowing almost as bright as your sword, though it's much smaller and not as strong." She said, nodding in a way that said that she was impressed. She was smiling as well, but not at his achievement but at the prospect that Alan was now definitely the key to her victory.

"Now what?" He asked.  
>"Now the basic trick. Simply close your eyes and will the cool energy within to cover your eyes like another layer." Lissandra dictated as Alan did so. "Then open your eyes."<p>

He opened his eyes and his mouth fell open in surprise and awe. His normal vision was no longer normal. Everything had turned sort of dark, with contrasting outlines. The darkice lights glowed white from within and as he turned his head to Lissandra, he found her entire form lit up like a glowing silhouette in the dark vision.

"Wow, What am I seeing!?" He asked, staring at her with wide eyes. Lissandra couldn't help but smile at his amazement. "You're seeing energy."

Alan looked down at his own hand, seeing it burning brightly as well. But then, he looked down at his sword, which wasn't glowing, but it was blindingly white. He couldn't even stare at it without his eyes watering. He closed his eyes, opening them again to find his vision back to normal.

"This… Is awesome! I never knew another world existed like this, never knew I could do all of this!" He said, overflowing with awe as he turned around to Lissandra with a grin.

…

He was sweating again. This was as hard as the physical exercise he had to do with Reinhart, perhaps even moreso. No longer was it as magical as it had seemed.

"Harness the power. Keep your emotions in check, do not let them surface over your mana flow." Lissandra said calmly as Alan worked hard on keeping his focus, trying not to think about anything as he kept conjuring a ball of ice inbetween his hands. It had started out as the size of a speck and after 2 hours, was the size of a football.

The door opened and Alan was distracted momentarily, but he didn't lose his focus on the iceball though. He didn't really hear what conversation was exchanged between Lissandra and Reinhart, who was the one to have entered the room, until the door closed and his eyes glanced over to see Lissandra's lips tight in a grimace.

"What's wrong?" He asked absently.  
>"Just… Reinhart…" She muttered sourly.<br>"Don't you like him?"

"I do. He's a loyal and skilled soldier, worthy of his title… But he also has an uncanny interest in me."

"Wha-" The bit of information hit Alan harder than it should have, for some reason as his focus was lost.

"CONCENTR-" Lissandra started speaking, but it was too late. The ice ball shattered with the force of a small bomb, throwing Alan and Lissandra across the room from each other. Alan slammed into the floor, rolling over and sliding across the smooth floor, groaning in pain. He remembered that the explosion was focused more to what was in front of him instead of what was behind the ice ball, so Lissandra took the brunt of the explosion.

"Oh shit." He muttered, quickly scrambling up to his feet as he saw Lissandra lying on the ground , her white braided hair lying on the ground like an unmoving snake. He stumbled on his feet as his new bruises cried out, but he managed to make it over to her. Absently, he registered the entire room was covered in a layer of frost and ice, but he was now more concerned about Lissandra, who was lying unconscious under him on the floor.

"Lissandra! Are you okay? Lissandra!" He shouted, trying to wake her as he gripped her shoulders and shook her.  
>After a few seconds of trying, which seemed like a long time, Lissandra stirred, groaning as relief flooded Alan. "Thank god... I was worried I hurt you." Alan said.<p>

"You did…. You idiot…" Lissandra muttered as Alan noticed a bruise already forming on her left elbow. Without thinking about it, he grabbed her elbow and instantly froze up in shock, Lissandra going rigid under his grip as well.

Strangely, the painful burn they expected…. Didn't happen. All Alan felt was her cold skin, slightly warm underneath the blue skin, yet pleasantly cool to the touch. They were both shocked into silence for Maker knows how long, but then, Lissandra suddenly shot up, standing up and briskly walking out of the room, leaving Alan in the room, who was still trying the digest the fact that he had touched her without burning himself. How much was the extent of his powers?

Only time would tell.

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><p><strong>Don't really know what to say except for you guys to leave a review behind. More reviews mean I get more pressured into writing the story, so think of me like your very own hamster that you can persuade to do radical tricks, albeit a very sexy, very intelligent, very awesome and very narcississtic hamster ;3<strong>

**See you guys next time!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey there guys and welcome to another chapter of IHIE.**

**So, one of you asked for an artwork depicting Alan Frost. But since I don't have any time on hand to do an artwork throughout these hard times, I'll simply put a link right here to a picture that best captures what I originally thought of Alan. It's pretty much how he looks like, except he has brighter eyes and his ears are rounded and not elfy.**

**Full credit of the art goes to its artist, Negshin.**

** art/Guardian-sneak-peak-194683749**

**Anyway, hope you guys enjoy the story and don't worry, Teemo will die soon!**

***notices Saladeo***

**-Wings senpai**

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><p><span><strong>In her Icy Embrace<strong>

**Chapter 3: How he reached out.**

In no time at all, 2 weeks had flown by. Nothing out of the ordinary had happened, each day becoming a tedious sort of routine. Wake up, freshen up, Eat breakfast, Go train for 5 hours with Reinhart. Then, go back to take a shower, eat some dinner then proceed to train 5 more hours with Lissandra. Finally, an hour for himself before he had to go to sleep. Wonderful.

Another ordinary day started when Alan woke up, making some noises at the back of his throat at his loss of sleep as be pushed himself up into a sitting position. Life here so far north was a bit weird when it came to the time. Since the area always had a snowstorm blowing through, even when the snow was mild, it was impossible to tell when it was day and when it was night. Lissandra had said that they had 6 months of days and 6 months of nights. The sixth month of night had already ended and they were in their first month of sun. It had taken him awhile to know when to sleep and when to stay awake, but since the ice castle was situated inside a mountain, most rooms didn't have windows.

Again, Alan had to wonder how strong Lissandra really was that she had made this entire ice castle by herself. It was huge, as far as Alan had explored, with 3 floors which had hallways that branched almost infinitely. He had only explored the main hallways and peeked into a certain room or two.

Finally, he got up. He went into his bathroom, washing the sleep from his face before taking one of the razors provided to him [made of ice] and shaving off the stubble that had grown for the last day. His facial hair grew slowly and sparsely, and he didn't like it. Usually, it took 3 days for the stubble to even become noticeable.

He ran a hand through his white hair, which was getting slightly long now. Walking back into his room, he perused his wardrobe for something casual to wear, since right now, he wore just a pair of boxers.

Two minutes later, he was wearing a short sleeved blue top with loose blue trousers that would allow him to move and train with ease. It took him another 3 minutes to find the dining room, which was a floor below where his room was. He still didn't know why he got the room right next to Lissandra's room, but he didn't question it much.

There was a lot to pick from when he got there, as the Iceborn turned out to handle fire during cooking very well, although their fire was strangely blue and did not give off heat. It still cooked food nice and warmly, though. He grabbed a three-decker sandwich from the table, exchanging greetings with some of the people he knew. There was Fenrir, another man from the Congelate Elite, Eluvia, who was a servant/maid to the queen, Kenway, who was one of the infantry along with Hilda. All of them had the usual iceborn looks, white hair and blue skin. But now, having spent most of his time within their midst, he had learned to see the subtle differences. Some had paler skin than others, or darker tones. Some of their white hair was shiny like snow; others had dusky off-white hair or platinum blonde, even silver. And of course, all of them looked different in terms of facial structure and bodily structure, just like normal people.

Lissandra herself was a mystery. From what Alan had found out about her, she had lusciously long white hair, silky smooth to the touch, like trying to hold the winter's breeze. Her skin was a light shade of blue and although he had touched her only once and for a few fleeting moments, he remembered the comforting coolness in her soft and supple skin. She was tall as well, unlike most women, and carried herself in a way that only a queen could do so. Her movements seemed like she was gliding on ice, smooth and graceful. He had seen her eyes, a shade of gentle periwinkle with silvery white edges. They could be soft and cool like snow and turn frigid and sharp like an icicle within the span of a second. Her personality itself was quite the puzzle as well. She kept up a wall of indifference towards everything, verging on the precipice between arrogance and impartiality. But when she didn't wear her mask, or when she was caught off guard, which Alan seemed to have a knack for doing, her wall would suddenly shatter and he would glimpse a timid, submissive side of her, which was similar to a little girl.

Lost in thought, Alan bumped into a door and found himself empty handed, his sandwich already eaten, the door to the training room in front of him.

He opened the door, walking in to see Reinhart standing there with another man. The second man was as tall as Alan, but looked twice as imposing. He stood there silently, like a statue, no indication that he was even breathing. He wore dark blue crystalline armor all over his body, his face covered by a mask of reflective dark ice that prevented anyone from seeing his face. His white hair was long on one side, down the right side of his face, where it was tied into a tiny ponytail near his eye level. He had silver ear rings shaped like X's, with one of the legs of the 'X' acting as the pin through the ear, thin and sharp.

"Good Morning Alan." Reinhart said as the other man turned his head slowly to look at Alan. "This is another member of the Congelate Elite, our Special Op officer, Glass."

"Glass?" Alan asked. He found the name peculiar, but found the man even more so. He still wasn't moving, aside from staring at Alan. "So why is he here?"

"He'll be taking a test on you to see how well you're fighting now." Reinhart said as Alan raised an eyebrow. "Don't worry, no weapons. Only your body." Reinhart reassured as Alan frowned at the other man, sizing him up. It was impossible to tell how skilled the man was.

A few minutes later, both of them were in the training mat. Alan kept a stance, watching the man warily as he slowly began circling. The man took no stance other than the way he stood, circling with Alan so he didn't get flanked. Alan noticed a lot of Iceborn gathering around their ring to see who would win.

Alan dashed forward. The days he had trained had improved him drastically, as he moved much, much faster now. He aimed a curved uppercut with his right hand travelling left-up, but Glass moved away from the hit. Alan continued to the momentum, allowing the uppercut to turn him around so he did a complete 180. Kicking off with is legs, he now aimed a very heavy elbow-thrust with his left elbow at Glass's chest. Glass had taken his armor off, wearing the standard dark blue uniform of all the soldiers, so there was no fear of getting the backfiring pain of his flesh and bone hitting hard armor. But Glass was nimble, sidestepping the elbow with a small spin. That spin turned viciously fast at the end as Glass suddenly whipped his outside leg around at Alan's exposed side.

Alan tightened the muscles on his targeted side to brace for the impact, but when it hit, it still made him grunt. The attack had placed Glass facing Alan, since Alan had done his elbow-thrust in a sideways movement. He lashed out with his right arm, aiming a chop with his forearm at Glass' throat, but the Spec Ops officer raised both of his arms, using them to take the brunt of the impact before shoving Alan's extended arm down. Glass suddenly lunged forward, slamming his forehead into Alan's face.

Alan made a sputtering noise as blood gushed out of his now broken nose, pouring over his lips as he stumbled back from the impact, dazed, vision blurred with the reflex release of tears to his eyes. Glass wasted no time, suddenly falling down into a very low crouch and spinning around, a sweep with one leg outstretched kicking Alan off of his unbalanced posture.

Alan's back hit the ground with a resounding thump as he groaned, eyes opening then widening as he rolled away to the right, moments before Glass, who had used his crouch to launch up into the air, slammed down with his elbow where Alan had been moments earlier.

Creating some distance between them, Alan using the back of his right hand to wipe away the curtain of blood that had formed on the lower part of his face from his nose. That left a long streak of smudged blood on the back of his forearm, but Alan paid it no heed, keeping a wary eye on Glass, who seemed to have returned to his casual posture, no movements visible to Alan, not even the expected rise and fall of Glass' chest from breathing.

"Is he even human?" Alan asked as Reinhart's mouth twitched with amusement.  
>"No, he's Iceborn, as are we all." Reinhart answered as Alan spit out the blood and saliva that had accumulated within his mouth, leaving a coppery taste. "Lovely." Alan stated, before dashing forwards again.<p>

This time, Alan went with a quick combo of 4 jabs to Glass's head before aiming a strong haymaker with his other hand, down below. It succeeded, as Glass had raised both his arms to take the 4 jabs, giving Alan's other hand a clear path. The punch was powerful, Alan's arm muscles rippling from the impact as it slammed into Glass' stomach region, the muscles there already tense in anticipation of his punch. Glass still made no sound, but it was obvious he was reeling from the punch as Alan carried on with the momentum of his punch, bending his right arm as he came closer before thrusting his elbow upwards.

It slammed into Glass' chin, the elite's head whipping upwards from the force as the man began to stumble back. Alan wasted no time, shouting with effort as his left arm shot out from under his right arm's elbow, slamming a final punch into Glass' now unprepared abdomen.

The elite fell back onto the mat, a dull thump echoing through the room with the fall as Alan panted with exertion. Everything was silent for a few moments. Then, the entire room broke in cheers and applause. Alan raised his head, looking around to see all the Iceborn wearing looks of amazement and approval at his victory, Reinhart nodding proudly.

"Well done, Alan." Reinhart stated as Alan turned his eyes back to Glass, who was finally recovering, pushing himself up onto his arms.

Alan walked over and offered an arm to Glass, who looked at it for a few moments, face still hidden by his mask, before reaching up and clasping it. Alan pulled the man up as Lissandra walked over.

"Well fought, both of you." Lissandra stated as she looked at Alan first and then at Glass. "Thank you, Dismissed."

Glass bowed silently to Lissandra before walking out of the training room. The other soldiers were returning to their own spars and workouts as Lissandra looked at Alan again, tilting her head to the side.

"You're hurt." She stated.  
>"No shit. I wonder what gave it away." Alan said with a small smirk, aware of the blood coating most of the lower half of his face. The corner of Lissandra's lips twitched as she said, "Come."<p>

…

"Ah fuck." Alan swore as he tried to pour just a bit of the health potion into a teaspoon, but spilled most of it trying to do so.

"Tch let me." Lissandra said impatiently, taking the small flask and spoon from him and slowly pouring it out onto the spoon. They were both back in Alan's room, where Alan had taken a seat on his bed with Lissandra next to him, a small bag of first aid supplies on her lap.

Alan had changed out of the top he was wearing since it had been ruined with blood. His nose had stopped bleeding but was badly misshapen and swollen.

"Open." Lissandra said in a soft voice as Alan obeyed, opening his mouth. Lissandra gently placed the spoon on his lips and poured the potion in, Alan swallowing it. Instantly, Alan felt tingles all over his body, especially on his nose as the bruises healed. But he became more aware of the position they were in, with both of them leaning close, Lissandra spoon feeding him.

The thought seemed to have appeared to Lissandra as well as she froze in her movements, watching Alan through her mask. Alan longed to see what was under her mask. It was a curiousity that nibbled at his conscious every time he laid eyes upon her concealed face.

Before he even realized it, his right hand had reached up to the exposed part of Lissandra's face. Lissandra stiffened at his approach, but did not move, both of them holding their breaths as Alan's hand inched closer…. Soft, cool skin, belonging to her cheek, met his fingertips as they finally touched her face, Lissandra tensing up reflexively for the pain which did not come. A moment or two passed without pain and Lissandra found her tense muscles relaxing, or rather, melting under the soft caress of Alan.

A crack sound and Alan recoiled, his hand shooting away from Lissandra's face and to his own as he clutched his nose, swearing again. The potion had finished its job and snapped all the bones in his nose back into place.

Just like that, the moment was lost as Lissandra blinked [obviously not visible to Alan], a blush creeping up onto her cheeks in the form of a light pink tinge. She was not used to people getting around her icy wall of indifference so easily. She finally exhaled the breath she was holding, Alan not meeting her eyes.

"Your nose is fixed, you should go clean up." Lissandra said in an unmotivated way, closing up the first-aid bag and standing up. "There's no more training tonight, get some rest." She said and walked out of his room without another glance. Alan could only stare after her, confused by the actions he had taken and the whirlwind of emotions swirling within his mind.

…

_**Time skip: 1 week**_

…

Alan truly was a very, very fast learner. Like a natural, he had learned how to fight well enough to go toe-to-toe with Reinhart now. His magical potential was revealed to be quite excellent as his cryomancy had become formidably strong in a short amount of time.

Now, he was wearing the armor of the Congelate Elite, dark ice and platinum, Frig Ascutis sheathed at his side, standing next to other Elites. They were overlooking the precipice of a small rise, watching the small city of Avarosa in the distance.

"Today is the day we deal retribution upon the usurper to Queen Lissandra's throne." Reinhart said, standing next to Alan. Like Alan, Reinhart carried his helmet under one arm, sword sheathed at his side.

"Where is Lissandra?" Alan asked, his hair, now long enough to cover one eye completely, blowing in the wind and flecked with the snow that fell.  
>"She is behind us, protected by the other Congelate Elite. I myself shall stand next to her. You, on the other hand…"<br>"I will be leading the charge, I know." Alan said, no emotion present in his steeled voice.  
>"Are you sure you want this? Queen Lissandra and I both suggest otherwise." Reinhart said as Alan pulled his helmet on, the platinum helmet gleaming in the diffused light for a moment, the dark blue feathery edges of the winged helmet moving in the wind. There were two eye holes in the helmet, so the majority of his face was protected.<p>

"Let me know when it's time." Alan said, sitting down on the snow as Reinhart walked away. The fact that they were going to battle within a few hours was nerve wracking, yet Alan was able to detach himself from his usual personality so he didn't feel anything except butterflies in his stomach. He kept himself distanced from his emotions, knowing that this way, he wouldn't be scared out of his wits. Controlling your own mind was another key knowledge for magic arts, so Alan had already learned how to do so about 4 days ago.

Lost in thoughts and contemplations, Alan didn't notice the time going by until Reinhart finally walked over and nudged Alan.

"It's time."

…

Everything was happening in flashes at a time, other less important things not even registering in Alan's mind. One moment, he was lining up with the other soldiers. The next moment, he was running at full sprint at the wall of soldiers coming up at them from the opposite direction. A war cry tore out of his throat, joined by others as he raised the broken blade of Frig Ascutis. A tugging sensation in his gut, and the sword completed itself by freezing the air itself to form the rest of the blade.

"FOR LISSANDRA!" He shouted, meeting the charge head on.

The first man that Alan faced literally ran into his blade, since they were both charging. The barbarian had raised his sword, a dire mistake for the first charge, and Alan had pierced him through with his sword. The fun thing about Frig Ascutis that Alan had found out a last week was that the length and shape of the sword varied according to his desire. Right now, as he had charged, the blade was thin and very long, about 7 ft. It pierced right through the barbarian's chest in a slightly upward angled thrust, exiting out the back and then shooting through the mouth of another barbarian right behind, whose war cry died along with him as the blade pierced through his head. Alan wasted no time, pulling his blade out as he kicked the dead bodies away, the ice separating itself from the black portion of Frig Ascutis so he didn't have to wrench it out and waste time and energy, instead simply forging another blade from the air again, this time 3 ft. in length.

Everything was a blur. No amount of training had prepared Alan for this. The sheer amount of chaos within the battlefield was astounding and half the time, Alan had to first discern friend from foe before attacking or not. Alan was shoved and pushed from every direction, as he himself pushed and shoved back in the utter chaos of fighting within the battleground. But it wasn't that hard; the barbarians were ill trained and unarmored and the Iceborn cut them down swiftly.

Suddenly, Alan was shoved forward into a small clearing by the warriors fighting around him. He had a split second to ponder upon why there was a clearing in a tight battle when a very muscular man with a very large and jagged sword came at him with a roar. Alan had to reinforce the ice of his blade before he used it to block the heavy hit, but the man was extremely strong and fast. Slash after slash, Alan had to deflect and parry as his opponent, who had a scruffy beard, long dark hair and a horned helmet, kept hacking at him with immense strength and momentum. Alan actually found himself having to repair the blade after every swing, since the impacts were strong enough to chip even the dark ice edge of Frig Ascutis.

An overhead slash, aimed to cleave Alan down in two, strengthened by the man's other hand as well, came at him. Alan raised his sword, being forced to grab the blade with his left hand to form a brace to take the brunt of the strike.

The impact shattered Alan's sword and the shock of suddenly being forced to lose the icy extension of his sword felt like he had just lost a limb. On impulse, Alan reached inside of him in a panic, gripping the intense sense of fear and shock and using that to fuel his magic.  
>A pulse of energy exploded outwards from him in a spherical shape, going a feet in every direction, weakening rapidly. But it did what it was meant to, which was to shove the man back and prevent the slash from carrying through and cutting Alan.<p>

Alan finally released the breath he held, his eyes wide from brushing death as he dropped the ice blade he still held in his left hand, blood dripping after the ice. His blade had cut deep into his left hand from the force, possibly down to the bone, but Frig Ascutis had frozen the gash, preventing him from bleeding profusely or from experiencing the mind-shattering pain. He simply felt an intense numbness in his left hand and the inability to move his fingers effectively as he looked up at the man, who seemed to be grinning viciously.

"Is this all the Champion of Lissandra has to offer!? Hahahaha, you're just a sniveling pup!" He shouted, guffawing with laughter. An iceborn suddenly broke out of the fray around them and came at the barbarian, but he simply stopped laughing and swung his blade, cleaving the frostguard in half. He then watched as Alan shook out of the fear gripping him, standing up again (he had fallen to one knee from the strike) as he reforged his sword, this time the blade being thicker and wider.

"I like your spunk, kid." The man said, raising his blade at Alan with one hand. "My name is Tryndamere! King of Freljord! Remember this well, as I will be the one to slay you!" Tryndamere shouted.  
>Alan snorted, narrowing his eyes as he assessed the situation now that he had calmed and collected himself. Judging from the sheer muscle mass that Tryndamere possessed, it'd be impossible to beat him in direct combat. Both Reinhart and Lissandra had taught him what they each excelled at… But Reinhart could not do the ancient art of Cryomancy. Nor Could Lissandra wield a blade as effectively as he could.<p>

They had both taught them their ways. Now, it was his turn to make something of them. By merging the two fighting styles.

Alan stuck his sword down into the snow, reaching up and taking his helmet off. It dropped into the snow beside him seconds later as Alan bared his face and white hair to Tryndamere, icy cold eyes staring at Tryndamere with a contrasting fire within them.

"My name is Alan Frost. And the only one who will be falling in this battle will be you, Tryndamere." Alan said as Tryndamere laughed. "Big talk from a small man!" Tryndamere said in his throaty voice as Alan raised his right hand.

_Form the shape. Know the structure. Feed it with your willpower. Draw the strength from the cold. Embrace the creation and pull it into reality…_

Tryndamere's grin melted off of his face and turned into shock as he watched Alan form a thick icicle, which continued to grow and refine itself until it was a seven foot long spear made of dark ice.

"You're a Cryomancer!? I thought… Your sword… But…" Tryndamere gaped. Ashe herself was a Cryomancer, but she wasn't that powerful. She could form arrows out of ice, true, but forming her trademark crystalline arrow took a lot out of her. She was a queen, he was just a boy, and yet he had just formed a spear of ice, flawless and deadly looking.

"Surprise surprise." Alan said with a small smirk as he suddenly stepped forward, bringing his arm back before chucking the spear forward with all his strength. Tryndamere had to duck to dodge the spear, which pierced the back of a war boar. Instantly, from the point of impact, the war boar and its rider froze solid, encased in dark ice, no time for them to even scream in surprise. Tryndamere turned back around to see Alan dashing towards him, the distance closed.

The barbarian king reacted only fast enough to block the diagonal upward slash, but the deflection caused a lot of dark ice to fall off the blade, making it smaller and thinner. Alan continued with his motion, turning his back to Tryndamere and only when it was too late did Tryndamere see the glint on Alan's other hand.

A crimson ribbon flew through the air, landing in the snow and staining it red as Tryndamere stumbled back, a thin slash across his chest. Alan only waited a moment, long enough for Tryndamere to see another blade, this one made entirely out of dark ice, in Alan's left hand before Alan came at him again.

This time it was Tryndamere on the defensive as he blocked each strike that Alan made. Alan suddenly brought his arms back for an overhead slash and Tryndamere brought his sword up to block the hit, but Alan drove Frig Ascutis into the ground instead, in front of Tryndamere. A moment later, Icicles erupted out of the ground all around Alan, like an explosion of razor sharp ice. Tryndamere barely managed to get away, groaning through gritted teeth in pain as his entire front side bled profusely, riddled with holes and cuts.

Alan's emotions were in too much disarray right now to be able to be harnessed right now, so Alan switched from that to his mana pool, draining it dry as he drove the sword deeper in the ground. The icicles that were protruding from the ground, each at least 5-7 feet in length and razor sharp, suddenly shot out in all directions. Everyone around him took cover behind shields, but his icicles tore through the weak wooden shields that the barbarians carried. Some didn't carry shields at all. But every time an icicle came into contact with the dark ice armor or shield that the Frostguard or Congelate Elite was wearing, it dissolved into harmless flakes of ice on impact.

Alan panted, standing up to see a pool of blood all around him, barbarians torn and impaled by the icicles he had shot were lying dead around him. He looked up in front of him to see Tryndamere lying on the ground on his back, arms and legs spread eagle, large spears of ice protruding from each limb and 3 of the icicles protruding from his torso. Blood was rapidly pooling around him as he coughed. Alan took a step forward, suddenly stumbling at the sudden weakness he suffered in his body. He felt numb all over as he slowly stumbled forwards. Tryndamere coughed up blood violently again, looking down at the ice piercing his body all over before noticing Alan walking over.

He struggled to speak, lips moving but unable to say anything coherent as blood continued to ooze out. Finally, as the last breath left his lips, he managed to say one word. "Cheater…"

Alan stared down at the man before looking up at the other Iceborn soldiers surround them, staring at him in awe. The look in his eyes confirmed it as everyone began cheering in victory, the remainder of the barbarian forces having already ran off. Alan managed a weak smile, eyes falling upon Lissandra, who was on the far side of the battle. She was looking at him, mouth slightly open in awe. Alan's smile lasted for a few more moments, until his vision suddenly swam and his feet decided to not support him anymore. He felt himself falling into the snow before everything went blank.

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><p><strong>Anyways guys, I wanna apologize for the delay again. But, like I said; Life's most important exams coming up in May, and Mock Exams going on right now so I'm pretty high-strung to be able to focus on writing this. I hope I didn't disappoint with this chapter.<strong>

**Please leave a review and let me know what you think of this story! Remember, every review counts. I place your thoughts, as the readers, above my own. After all, without you guys, what would we writers be? **

**-Wings.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey there readers and YES, I AM BACK.**

**I'm proud to say my exams went beautifully and I'll be getting my results back in August. If they're good, I'm going to go abroad and study at a university!  
>Anyway, thats a few months far ahead. For now, I'm back to writing for all of you!<strong>

**This chapter is very short, but I'm pretty lost on how to continue this since I've been on hiatus from writing for some time and I've gotten a bit rusty. I could've made this longer, but I thought I shouldn't keep you guys waiting any longer. A small update is better than no update, right?**

**Without further ado.**

**Enjoy!  
><strong>

**~ Wings-senpai**

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><p><strong>In her Icy Embrace<strong>

**Chapter 5: **The lies she speaks

Even though a storm was blowing through, the man ran like his life depended on it, shoving through falling snow and ice like it was a living, moving wall all around him. Finally, he reached the largest tent in the encampment and pushed the flap aside, entering it in a hurry. At once, all noise of the wind and storm faded to a dull roar as he took a few moments to compose himself. Raising his eyes, his eyes met with the sapphire gaze of Sejuani, who was standing over a small table covered by parchment detailing plans and tactics. She might lead a group of barbarians, but that did not mean they would play at war like savages. Even the mightiest of warriors needed the guile to play the strategy needed for war and although Sejuani was never as smart as Ashe or Lissandra when it came to this, she could do enough.

"What is it?" She asked.

"War-chief, the squad of our men you had posted in front of the Avarosan city has fallen, along with the Avarosan's primary guard." The man said as Sejuani frowned.  
>"Has Lissandra made her move?" Sejuani muttered to herself, eyes narrowing as she stared down at the table, focusing on nothing in particular.<br>"She boasts a new champion. One wielding the fabled blade Frig Ascutis." The man said as surprise flickered across Sejuani's eyes. "How does he fight?"

"Our scouts say he fights like a man possessed, with mastery over both swordsmanship and cryomancy. He defeated the barbarian king Tryndamere in single combat."

"Impossible." Sejuani said at once. Though the description of this champion was giving her something to be wary of, she found it hard to believe that Tryndamere did indeed lose in a duel.

"He was caught offguard by the warrior's cryomancy." The man muttered in a somber tone as Sejuani stayed silent, deep in thought.

"Have our troops pull out." She finally said.

"But war-chief, we made a pact with the Avarosans to help them fight a common, stronger enemy!"

"Fuck that, either we cut our losses and get out of the crossfire now or we fall with Ashe and her pride. Avarosa's city is already doomed and I will not see my people fall with it…" Sejuani said, looking up at the man. "Once the Avarosans and the Iceborn have battled each other into pieces, that is when we shall strike." She said as the man bowed to her. "As you wish."

…

"My Queen, we've established the last of the camps. Our injured are being tended to and I've posted the Elite on watch." Reinhart said, standing at the entrance of a large tent which had been set up for Lissandra's use. No other tent had been set up yet, aside from a large tarp strung over an area meant for the injured, to provide some shelter. It was an hour after the battle.

"What of Alan?" Lissandra asked, facing away from Reinhart, although her head was turned to the right so her face could be seen by him in profile.

"He's still unconscious and resting." Reinhart said.

"When he wakes up, tend to his small, immediate needs such as water and then send him to me." Lissandra said and Reinhart, giving a small bow, left the tent.

Lissandra stayed still for a few moments. And then, a small smile came onto her lips. It wasn't a smile that she usually displayed… This was more… Malicious.

_Everything is going just as planned. The iceborn are still oblivious and Alan is still of use to me. And thanks to this human actually believing everything I say, the Avarosan's are falling. _Lissandra chuckled to herself at this point. It was so easy to simply put on a mask and lie about everything, to pretend to be a completely different person. To actually act like she cared about her people. But her people weren't people anymore. Sure, they talked like normal, alive people, but in the end, they weren't. They had been corrupted long ago without them even noticing and now, their minds belonged to the Watchers. What they think they are thinking are actually subtle thoughts planted in them through the Watchers. It was all so simple and brilliant and now, everyone sees her as some rightful heir usurped from her throne, fighting for her people to reclaim what was rightfully hers.

_But it is rightfully mine, is it not? I deserved the throne, I was the one to be crowned, not Avarosa. I was to be Queen of Freljord, not that pretentious bitch or her upstart descendant. I shall have what is rightfully mine and I shall do what must be done to have it. _Lissandra's grin, at this point, was outright creepy as her lust for power flooded her senses.

_Oh Alan, if only you were as smart with people as you are skilled at combat. Sure, you've surprised me by showing such potential and by drawing Frig Ascutis, but there's more to the story than you know. _Lissandra chuckled lowly to herself again, shaking her head at how gullible the boy was. _Everyone who wielded Frig Ascutis died because of it._

…

"ICE MONKEYS." Alan shouted, shooting upright into a sitting position, eyes wide in alarm. He took a few heaving breaths, calming himself from whatever dream he was having.  
>"Uh…"<br>Alan jumped at the small noise, looking beside him to see an unknown face. She was a young looking girl, with pale skin and platinum blonde hair, a bit more golden than white. Her eyes were large and blue and looking at Alan in shock, her hands poised over his formerly prone body.  
>"Easy there." Another voice, coming from the doorway, stated. It was Reinhart, entering with a small glance at the girl. "She's Lydia, one of the nurses tending to your wounds."<br>"Oh… Uh…" Alan fumbled over his words, looking at the scared girl. "Nice to meet you?" He said in a testing-the-waters type of voice.  
>Reinhart rolled his eyes, then looked to Lydia. "Is his injuries healed?"<br>Lydia stood up, standing no taller than 5 feet 3 inches, which made her tiny compared to Reinhart and smaller than Alan by 9 inches. "Y-yes sir. Although, his hand needs more time to heal. It was cut bad." She said, as Alan looked down at his left hand. It was bandaged up, 3 layers at the least, and he wasn't able to move his fingers as freely as he could before. He knew it was bad.

"Damn." He muttered, narrowing his eyes as he tried to close his left hand into a fist, failing the attempt.  
>"That'll be all then, Lydia." Reinhart said as Lydia nodded, hurrying out of the room with one last backward glance at Alan. Reinhart then turned his head to look at Alan again. "So… Ice monkeys?" He asked, an amused expression on his face as Alan sighed.<br>"Don't ask. Must be the heat of the past battle messing up my mind." Alan muttered, massaging his temples with select fingers on his right hand.

"Anyway, Queen Lissandra is expecting you in her tent." Reinhart said, turning around and walking out, his cape swishing out behind him.  
>Alan got off the bed, stretching his sore muscles and back with a groan. A throb in the back of his mind made Alan glance down to see Frig Ascutis lying on the floor, right next to where Alan had been lying. He picked it up, placing it in its customary location at his side. He walked out of the covered area which had been set up for the wounded, walking over to the lone tent on the very highest point of the hill they were on, overlooking the Avarosan city and the battlegrounds they had fought on. Even from this distance, Alan could see dark splotches of blood dying the sand and remnants of his burst of cryomancy. A shudder going down his spine, Alan entered the tent.<p>

Lissandra was peering over a map of the Avarosan city and its surroundings, the same map they had used to plan their assault on the outer guard. Now she was probably planning on how to breach the walls.

The capital city of Freljord and the home of the Avarosans, Rakelstake, was a heavily, naturally fortified city. There was a wide expanse of snowy ground infront of it, which was their previous battlefield. That was the only point of entry into the glacial copse that Rakelstake resided in. Rakelstake castle was like an island in the middle of a huge lake, a crystalline bridge connecting it to the land. The bridge was thin, about 5-person-wide, and offered little to no cover, which allowed the archers on the various vantage points to easily take out invaders. The vantage points were also strewn all about, most of them in the various cliff-faces surrounding the castle and the many icy protrusions reaching into the air like sky scrapers. The city itself was built on the shoreline of the lake, on the only side that wasn't blocked by the huge glaciers. Large, strong walls guarded the city, connecting from one side of the glacier to the other, forming a very large C- shape around the city, while the glacier cliffs formed a U shape around everything the city, lake and castle.

"Ah, Alan, come in." Lissandra said, staring down at the map for a few more moments before turning her masked face upwards towards him. "How's your arm doing?" She asked.  
>"It's okay. It won't be much of an issue." Alan responded, flexing the fingers of his left hand as much as he could, which wasn't a lot.<p>

"Good, because I need you to infiltrate the castle of Rakelstake and open the gates from within." Lissandra said. Alan stared at her for a few moments. "You're kidding, right?"

"Do I look like I could be joking right now?" Lissandra said in an agitated town, her frown evident even though half of her face was hidden.

"I know how to fight, Liss. Not how to infiltrate and sneak around." Alan said measuredly.  
>"Best way to learn is to actually do it. Glass will be accompanying you." Lissandra stated in an end-of-discussion manner.<p>

"Ugh… I don't like that guy." Alan said as Lissandra stared at him, probably with a raised eyebrow. "I don't know, he just creeps me out." He added as Lissandra's lips thinned disapprovingly as she shook her head, exasperated.

"Too bad. Get ready, you'll leave at nightfall." She said, turning away from him, dismissing him. Alan sighed in defeat and walked out. This _was_ what he signed up for.

…

It was already 2 hours after sundown, and they were set to leave 3 hours later, when most of the guards in the Avarosan city would be asleep. Alan was sitting inside a small tent that had been set up for him in the last hour. Now that some time had passed, their war-camp had been setup and Alan had one all to himself.

He was sitting at the end of the meager bed he was provided with, cleaning the black blade of Frig Ascutis (even though it didn't need polishing), when the wind inside the room suddenly picked up and then dropped again. Alan frowned, looking towards the entrance of his tent to see a hooded figure standing there, having just entered. Alan instantly stood up, taking a defensive stance and about to summon the powers of Frig Ascutis and shout at the same time when the figure suddenly raised both hands in front in a gesture of peace. Alan paused, hesitating as the hooded person spoke with a feminine voice, "I come in peace."

Alan raised an eyebrow as he lowered his sword, but not completely, still keeping his guard up. The figure reached up and lowered her hood. Long white hair fell out as the hood was pulled down, piercing blue eyes locking onto him like the gaze of a hawk.  
>It was Ashe.<p>

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you right now." Alan said, mentally shuddering as he realized he didn't really want to kill her. As far as he had heard about her, Ashe was a very good person and a great leader who kept her people happy. Even if she wasn't the rightful heir to the throne, she still sat on it well.

"I come here with information that might prove vital for you, Alan Frost." Ashe said.  
>"And I'm supposed to believe you?" Alan asked.<br>"You have no reason not to."  
>"Aside from the fact that you're my enemy."<br>"You killed my husband and yet I stand here in front of you, unarmed." Ashe said as Alan hesitated, looking at her more closely to notice she didn't have her bow or quiver.

"Fine… What do you want to say?" He asked.  
>"Lissandra is lying to you." Ashe said simply.<p>

Alan stared flatly at Ashe for a few moments before saying, "Well, thanks for that glorious piece of info, Ashe. "

"She's not the rightful heir, she's one of the original three sisters! She betrayed Ava-"  
>"Look, if you've only come here to waste my time with lies, it'd be best for you to just leave." Alan said flatly, placing Frig Ascutis onto the bed next to him before crossing his arms, adamant.<p>

"Fine… Its obvious Lissandra has you deep in her web of deceit. " Ashe said, pulling her hood back up and turning around. As she pushed the flaps aside, she turned her head to take one last look at him. "But before you condemn me as a liar, you should take a good look at your hands." She said, walking out right after she said that.

Alan frowned, looking down at his hands. They were still covered by his long sleeve and the gloves he was wearing [his left hand was covered by bandages]. Glancing up at the door again to see if she was coming back, which she wasn't, he gingerly grasped the glove on his right hand and pulled it off.

His stomach seemed to fall through the floor as he paled, staring down at his hands. The veins on his hand, near his knuckles, had turned dark blue, fading to a normal color as they reached his wrist. He pulled the sleeve back, but the rest of his arm was fine. His fingertips, however, was ice cold, as the tips of his left hand, uncovered by bandages, touched the skin of his right forearm. He knew he would find the same state on the back of his left hand as well. It seemed like his blood was freezing right under his skin, even though he was fine. Like… He was being poisoned.

He felt an ominous throb from Frig Ascutis, looking up from his hand to the sword lying on his bed in shock. He narrowed his eyes, not knowing what it was, but he knew it wasn't good. He would confront Lissandra about it later.

He pulled his gloves back on and decided to get ready for the infiltration. But he wondered, if Ashe was right about something being wrong with his hands…

…What else was she right about?

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><p><strong>Also, Pretty soon, the total number of views on all of my stories combined will be crossing ONE MILLION.<br>****You guys heard that right. I'm pretty psyched. This story stands as my 3rd most viewed story at 8,037 views.  
><strong>**Anyway, hopefully the next chapter is gonna be alot longer! Until then, Wings, out.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey, Hows it going bros? My name is Pewdi-  
>Wait, wrong show.<strong>

**Ahems.**

**Heya guys, Its me, Wings, with another update for IHIE.**

**A word of caution before we begin, this chapter is a bit more violent and darker than the last few chapters. I think we've all had enough of the whole "I'm the protagonist of this story, fuck you, I'm OP" deal on Alan, so I've decided to completely shatter that self-image of his and prove to everyone, including the characters in the story, that Alan is not invincible. He is still a mortal, he is still a human being, he can be defeated.**

**Also, Ashe is a Badass in this chapter, albeit colder than what you'd expect. But the girl just lost her husband and she's dealing with the faction who killed him, how do you expect her to react? Lissandra experiences her own emotional and mental conflicts in this chapter as well. Finally, we find out the price of being an asshole during important missions.  
><strong>

**Enjoy**

**- Wings Senpai**

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><p><span><strong>In her Icy Embrace<strong>

**Chapter 6: **He's no hero.

_5 minutes. 5 fucking minutes._

_5 minutes is all it took for that asshole Glass to leave me behind to go jerk off or whatever the fuck he does with his whole 'lone wolf' thing. _Alan was mentally cursing Glass as he roamed the dark streets of Rakkelstake. They had gotten through the wall easier than expected; they just threw ropes with a grappling hook on and climbed over. Then Glass decided to bolt, leaving Alan alone in the dark village.

He had already seen the Gate's inner side. There seemed to be a very large seal on it, requiring something large, pentagonal in shape, to be fitted into the slot to unlock the gates. And that was most likely within the castle.

While Alan tried snooping around the deserted village, slowly making progress towards the castle, he simply couldn't stop thinking about the blue markings on his hands and what Ashe had said. A part of him refused to believe that Lissandra was lying to him. Another part kept piling proof on proof of Lissandra's deceit. Nevertheless, she had saved his life and he had joined under her ranks. He had been given a task and he would complete it. Then, he would confront Lissandra.

The hardest part in getting to the castle was the large lake it was surrounded by. Or so they thought. Almost everyone who lived here was warm-blooded. They weren't immune to the cold like Alan was.  
>Still, he would have to be quick. Just because he didn't feel cold didn't mean ice wouldn't form on him and freeze him. He had no intention of being encased alive in ice or to gain weight from the ice forming on his clothes, which would drag him under and drown him.<p>

Alan was happy he had opted for lighter armor than what he had worn during the battle. There wasn't much metal on his outfit; more leather with some dark ice reinforcement, but nothing that would weigh him down too much. So, at the edge of the lake, Alan steeled himself then jumped into the water.

The first thing Alan felt was the initial shock of the sub-zero lake. The coldness disappeared almost as fast as it had appeared as his immunity kicked in and Alan began swimming as fast as he could. Even as light as his armor was, it was weighing him down. A quarter of the way, his muscles began aching. Halfway through, they were sore and beginning to fail as Alan's lungs burned for the oxygen he couldn't provide sufficiently, even though he was nearly hyperventilating.

An idea hit Alan's head as he called upon his mana reserves. He froze the water around him in specific places, such as under his chest and along his arms and legs, before he began to propel the ice through the water. The ice acted like a transport, pulling him along at a good speed.

When He finally reached the shore at the base of Rakkelstake, he lied on the beach for a few minutes, gasping heavily, staring up at the night sky in exhaustion.

_I swear, I'm gonna have sooo many things to say to Lissandra after this is over. _He thought angrily as he finally picked himself up. He stood still, using a bit more mana to freeze all of the water absorbed by his clothes, before causing them to disintegrate into miniscule snow crystals, effectively drying him.

After making sure everything was still on him (Armor, check. Clothes, check. Frig Ascutis, check.), Alan ran up to the castle wall. He found it odd there were no guards in the village or around the castle, as there should have been. But his mind was too occupied with completing the mission, the things Ashe said to him and what he was going to say to Lissandra after he got back to dwell on that fact. He looked around for an easy entry point and found it in the form of a window 20 ft off the ground. Taking the rope and hook from his belt, he began spinning it before throwing it up to try and hook it inside the window.

It took him 4 tries, but he finally managed to hook it and climb into what seemed to be a storage room of sorts. He opened the door slowly and silently, cracking it open just an inch to see if anyone was outside. The coast was clear, so Alan exited the room into what was a long corridor. It was nothing like Lissandra's castle. This corridor was… Grand. Plush carpets, warm walls, loads of decorations and pictures all down the hallway.

Alan walked down the corridor, hoping to get some bearing as to where he was in the castle when he came upon a large pair of doors. There was two other doors nearby on both sides of the hallway, and a small attempt at both revealed them to be locked. So, with no option, he took silent steps to the large doors…. And slowly reached out for the handle.

The door was suddenly pulled open viciously from the inside as, simultaneously, the doors which had been locked behind him opened, guards rushing out and slamming Alan in the back with their shields, shoving him into the room.

Alan almost fell, but managed to get back to his feet, pulling out Frig Ascutis as he looked around in shock. He was in a large hall of sorts, and literally surrounded by guards. The door he had come through had multiple guards, who now closed the door. Looking around, he saw a woman standing across the room, her white hair shining in the low blue light. Ashe.

And infront of Ashe, lay a masked iceborn, unmoving, with multiple arrows sticking out of his body. "Glass." Alan muttered, looking up at Ashe in surprise and anger. "You did this?"

"Yes." Ashe said simply.

Alan's anger flared further as he summoned a dark ice blade on Frig Ascutis, making it assume his familiar 3-foot long sword shape. Ashe's eyebrows raised infinitesimally, impressed slightly. Alan charged her, roaring in anger as he came in with a diagonal rising slash, going left to right.

Ashe simply side stepped the slash, just outside the arc of the slash, surprising Alan with her speed. He continued with an overhead slash going left to right, which Ashe dodged again by side stepping to his left. Alan tried to get her by using the momentum of his slash to turn, aiming a reverse leg sweep to trip her, but Ashe jumped over it. Both of them spun, Alan turning around towards Ashe just in time to see Ashe's leg whip around to slam into his head.

Everything went white for a few seconds as Alan was thrown clear off his feet from the kick, flying a few feet before sliding even further on the smooth floor, dazed from the kick. As Alan struggled to rise up again, Ashe stared him down coldly.

"Do not mistake me for some common soldier. Tryndamere might have underestimated you. He underestimates everyone because he wants a good fight. Do not expect that from me." She said, taking her time to notch an arrow on her bow and to pull the string. Alan instantly brought his sword up to block the arrow, but as Ashe let it loose, the arrow exploded a feet infront of Alan, peppering him with icy mist that reduced his vision.

Alan looked around , alert, expecting an attack from another direction, when a glint above caught his eye. Alan jumped to the right just in time as an arrow flew through the air, right where he had been standing. He watched Ashe land, she must've jumped 15 feet into the air, as she smirked at him frigidly.

"You're fast. Not fast enough, but fast." She said as a thin crimson line opened up on Alan's left cheek, right below his eye.

"You should surrender now, Ashe. I don't want to hurt you." Alan said as Ashe's mouth twitched.

"I don't think you're in the position to be making threats like that, Alan." She said as Alan lunged forward suddenly, slashing his sword. Ashe jumped back, but Alan's eyes glowed an icy blue as a wave of ice formed on the arc of his slash, shooting outwards at Ashe.

Ashe was still quicker to react, spinning her bow infront of her to deflect the oncoming wave of ice before notching 3 arrows and firing them. Alan slashed down at the arrows, cutting them in mid-flight, but as his sword reached the end of its path, another arrow suddenly streaked towards him. Then another. Then another.

Four arrows consecutively hit him faster than he could bring his sword back up. The first hit his left shoulder, the impact pushing his upper body to the left. The second hit his right shoulder, which was now an easy target as he had been forced to turn from the last arrow. As Alan stumbled back, a third hit his right forearm, piercing through the leather, through his flesh, in between the two arm bones and out. The last hit him square in the chest, the armor taking most of the impact but the arrow still managing to penetrate. This all happened before Alan could even fully cry out in pain, and as the final arrow hit, he fell backwards, his sword falling out of his grasp onto the floor. He fell with a thud, gasping in pain, unable to scream as he could feel the arrow in his chest scraping against his sternum. He feared that a slight movement would cause it to slip into his heart only a few centimeters below…

Ashe walked over, looking down at his defeated form coldly as Alan recovered from the pain enough to reach up with his left hand and pull the arrow out of his chest. Ice instantly formed on his wound, stopping it from bleeding further. The arrow in his right arm was too bad, so he simply broke off both ends of it that were protruding out, most of the icy shaft left inside his arm. The other arrows, he simply pulled out, managing to get into a crouch position as Ashe looked down at him. Usurper or not, Ashe was truly a queen. The way she gave off an air of superiority and dominance, the icy cold aura that surrounded her, almost as deadly as Lissandra's yet lacking the malevolence…

"Get up." She spat angrily as Alan stared back at her, fire in his eyes, shrouded by the white locks of hair falling infront of his face. He stood up, lunging forward at her to try and punch her. But the ice covering his wounds and the wounds themselves made him slower, clumsier. Ashe leaned away from the punch, grabbing his right arm and bringing it down viciously while bringing her knee up. The knee slammed into the middle of his arm, right where the arrow shaft was. Alan screamed in pain as he felt the ice inside shatter into sharp pieces, slashing the inside of his arm up as Ashe brought her knee down, pulled him towards her with his arm and brought her knee up again, slamming it into Alan's stomach. The impact forced the wind out of Alan's mouth, as well as some blood as she released him, causing him to fall to his knees on the floor, doubling over.

"A champion? A Hero?" She scoffed. "You're nothing more than a mere boy, deluded into the fact that he's someone important just because he drew a magical sword." She glanced at Frig Ascutis, laying a good distance away. Alan looked up, his face strained with pain but he still raised his left hand in an attempt to use cryomancy. Ashe thwarted it instantly by backhanding his face with her right hand, more blood splattering out of his mouth as his head was forced to look to the side.

She grabbed him by the hair before he fell, holding him up on his knees while bringing him close. "I told you what I needed to tell you. You didn't listen. Now you will suffer the consequences for invading my lands, endangering my people and killing my husband." She said, viciously pulling his head down to the floor.

Alan groaned as he felt his nose break, blood erupting out like a faucet had been released. Still, he fought. He didn't want to die. He wasn't going to die here. He reached for his sword, and it skidded across the floor to his hand. Grasping it, Alan turned around, aiming a slash for Ashe. But his slash was met by Ashe's bow blocking it, an arrow aimed down at him. Alan's eyes widened moments before Ashe released the arrow. The point-blank arrow penetrated through his right shoulder as Alan finally screamed in pain, feeling all the strength in his right arm leaving him.

"I should kill you right now." Ashe said as Alan was nearly hyperventilating, occasionally spitting out the blood that entered his mouth from his broken, bleeding nose.  
>"But that would make me no better than Lissandra." She said as she cleaned her bloodied hands on the hem of her cape. Turning around, she said, "Guards. Remove both of these intruders from my city and return the security to Level 5."<p>

Alan's vision swam as he watched Ashe leave, wondering why she hadn't killed him and how she had said that doing so would 'make her no better than Lissandra.' Why did she speak of Lissandra as if Lissandra was something evil? Alan could not think of it much before the movement from the guards pulling him up non-too-gently caused him to lose consciousness.

…

Lissandra was satisfied. Any minute now, Alan and Glass would be returning from the castle with news of their success and Lissandra's army, which stood ready at her call, would pour into the Avarosan city in the dark and take over.

Her tent flap opened as a messenger stepped in, Lissandra almost smiling with anticipation. "Well?"

"Alan Frost and Glass have returned." He said hesitantly.  
>"Yes? So begin the preparations then. Tell Reinhart to lead the army into the c-"<p>

"No, milady. I mean… Alan and Glass _have been_ returned." He said as Lissandra's words died in her throat.

"What?" She managed to say after a few seconds, cold spreading through her as the messenger explained how the two had been dropped off at the edge of their camp by a few Avarosan guards, covered in blood and unmoving.

Everything passed in a blur, and soon, Lissandra was standing in front of the two prone bodies, Reinhart next to her, looking down somberly. Glass's armor was shattered, arrows protruding from his body in numerous locations. He was obviously dead. Alan was in just as bad a shape, with multiple arrow wounds. And the blood… Oh god, the blood. Never before had the sight of blood affected Lissandra. But looking down at Alan, his white hair strewn across the ground, dyed red in places, the bangs pasted to his forehead with cold sweat and blood, his eyes closed, his breathing labored and crimson coloring most of his white skin… It made Lissandra's legs feel weak.

Already, a number of medics had gotten to work on Alan, having stripped him down to his trousers to work on the wounds, but Lissandra was completely numb at seeing Alan like this… Defeated. Broken. She was even more confused as to why his situation was affecting her this much. He was just another pawn to be used, the pawn that would lead her to victory… So why did seeing him like this cause an unidentifiable clenching in her chest? Why did it make her throat close up?

"Queen Lissandra… We should call off the army and set up defensive perimeters." Reinhart said in a low voice, obviously detecting how Lissandra was on the precipice, though thoroughly confused by it. She had never been so affected by something before.

"…Yes… Do that…" She muttered as Reinhart nodded, leaving her as she stared down at Alan, who seemed to be in great pain as the medics worked on him.  
>She fell to her knees next to him, the medics not paying her much heed as she slowly reached for his face, unable to say or think of anything. She just wanted to touch him, to know he was there, for some inexplicable reason. She wasn't wearing her gloves, but that didn't stop her as she gingerly touched his forehead with her hand. His skin was warm. Very warm, almost feverish. But it didn't burn her with the excruciating pain that human contact normally caused. It didn't seem to burn him either. Rather, his face seemed to soften a bit.<p>

Lissandra stayed her, her mind a complete mess. But the only thing that was clear to her was that she wanted to stay with him right now. And stay with him, she did.

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><p><strong>So, now that the chapter is done, please leave a review if you want, expressing your thoughts on this chapter, on the characters and what you think is going to happen.<strong>

**Now a personal update, I'm happy to say that I am going to be giving my IELTS by next month and perhaps by the end of this year, I'll be going abroad to study at an university where I can follow my passion of graphic designing and animation! If all goes well, expect Visual Novels for my stories or even full animations after 7 years.**

**See you guys next time. And remember; Anything on your mind, just leave behind a review or PM me!**

**- Wings Senpai**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey guys, I'm back with another LONG-OVERDUE chapter of IHIE!  
>yay!<strong>

**First off. Doombots. Fucking OP.  
>Secondly. I've been playing Resident Evil 6, XCom Enemy Within, Terraria, Starbound, LoL and State of Decay. That explains my lengthy period of no updates xD<strong>

**Anyway, I worked alot on this chapter, so it should be good for all of you! I hope you all enjoy it~!**

**- Wings Senpai**

**PS: I just realized there is an admin of a facebook League page with the admin-tag "wings"  
>Just to clarify, that guy isn't me xD I do not own nor admin any league pages [though I'd like to]<strong>

**PPS: I'm looking for an Artist who's willing to do me a freebie to draw a few of my characters from this story! On the upside, your art will get featured on this story, which will increase your popularity as I happen to get around 900 readers per chapter. I won't take favourites; If you make an artwork for me, I'll feature it no matter the amount I like it. :D So, whether you're a professional artist willing to help me or just a hobbyist who loves to draw stuff, now's your chance! PM me with a link to your art or leave the link in a review! [You'll have to use spaces in between all the periods/dots and slashes in the link or fanfic tends to omit parts of it. I'll be smart enough to cut the spaces out ;) ].**

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><p><strong>For Koneko-chan, whose warmth melts the ice coating the shackles of my soul.<strong>

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><p><span><strong>In her Icy Embrace<strong>

**Chapter 7**

Everything was nothing. Nothing but a dull throb of pain. Pain everywhere. He wondered if this was what it felt like to be dead. Or on fire. Or to be a badger. Badgers tended to be pissed off every waking second of their lives, so they must always feel like this.  
>Focus, Alan, back to the topic. Oh right, almost dead. Ugh. Argh. Uhh.<p>

"Why are you making those weird noises?" Lydia asked in distress, almost beginning to panic as Alan's eyes slowly opened.  
>"Uh… Did I do those out loud? Sorry…" Alan said as Lydia began checking all of his vitals again, "Oh no, what happened, are you okay, is everything alright, what's wron-"<br>"I'm fine, Lydia… Well, aside from everything hurting…" He muttered, realizing that once he woke up, all the pain just seemed to magnify. He was also feeling very feverish.  
>"Ah, okay." She said, calming down as she put a light hand onto his forehead. Her cool hand felt very welcome against his heated forehead as he let out a content sigh.<br>"Your fever seems to have gone down a bit. I'm sorry, but since healing potions tend to give a fever of their own, we couldn't use it." Lydia said apologetically as Alan nodded weakly.  
>"Yeah… I know, healing sickness… Mind explaining it to me?" He asked as Lydia looked at him with a tilt of her head. "But the way you're talking about it, you look like you already know about it." She said as Alan shrugged.<br>"Well, I've got nothing better to do other than get distracted away from all the pain." He muttered as Lydia nodded. "Well, healing sickness is when you take too much healing potion at once. It gives you a bad fever and heats your body up greatly. If you continue to take it even more, you either die from overheating your internals cells and killing them or you burn up into ash, depending on the potency of the health potion." She said as Alan smirked. "Always nice to be reminded of the fact that there are worse ways to suffer." He muttered.

Just then, the tent door was flung aside as Lissandra stood there. She rushed into the room, followed by another man who seemed to be the lead healer. Alan managed a weak smile as he looked at her. "Hey Liss…" He muttered as Lissandra quickly walked over to his bed, taking the spot that Lydia had vacated when they entered.  
>"How… How are you feeling?" Lissandra asked, seeming to stumble over her words as if she found it difficult to say. Even through her mask, Alan could feel her guilty gaze.<br>"Bad…" He muttered as the healer, who was talking in a quiet voice with Lydia in the background, came forward.  
>"Hello Alan. My name is Jory Romanec Gale. I'm Lydia's father and Lady Lissandra's head healer." He introduced as Alan took a closer look at him. Like Lydia, he had platinum blonde-ish hair, although his one seemed whiter mainly due to his age. He had a hard face, similar to Reinhart's face in the way that he looked like he was a war veteran, yet his face didn't hold the type of intimidating power that Reinhart held. Instead, this man looked like he had seen it all. He also wore glasses.<br>"Well Doc…. How bad am I?" Alan asked as Jory pushed his glasses up his nose with his forefinger, making the light reflect off of his glasses, concealing his eyes.

"To put it blunt; you're lucky to be alive. Or rather, lucky to be 'kept' alive." He said as Alan raised an eyebrow. Lissandra, however, seemed to harden at that very moment as the very temperature of the room decreased.  
>"Are you saying… What I think you're saying?" Lissandra asked in a deadly calm voice. At that exact moment, Alan noticed Reinhart standing near the entrance of the tent, guiding Lydia out quickly while looking inside at Lissandra skeptically, with a hint of worry. Jory did not falter, however, "Yes. Ashe purposely missed his vitals. Each of her arrows were methodically and strategically aimed and shot. She didn't want to kill him but… She did seriously maim." The doctor said as Alan became aware of the fact that his entire right arm was numb. He could feel it and move the fingers a bit, but it was a buzzed-feeling. It felt like his right arm was a fuzzy blur to his mind, while all the other body parts registered as sharp and defined.<p>

"Sharp fragments of ice shredded the muscles in his forearm, and two arrows to his shoulders, one that went clean through, have fractured his shoulder blade badly. Another arrow wound in his left shoulder. There is also a slightly deep wound on his chest as well as a scratch on his sternum; his closest encounter with death, if it had not been for his armor. Or rather, if it had not been for Ashe's remarkable aim." The doctor concluded as Lissandra seemed to bristle, the room becoming bitter cold from her anger.

"You're _commending _Ashe for supposedly _not _killing Alan!?" She hissed in barely-contained anger, but Jory didn't falter in the face of her icy wrath. "You and I both know her well, Lady Lissandra. She can hit a man inbetween the eyes at more than 200 paces, without a falter of accuracy. Nothing escapes those keen eyes of her. An inch to the right or to the left would've made the arrow go inbetween the ribs and through his heart or a vital blood vessel." He said, staring at Lissandra flatly as she gritted her teeth, almost trembling in rage. For a minute, Alan thought she would attack the healer. Then… Her shoulders slumped as she relaxed, the anger flying out of her and being replaced with bitter resentment.

"This insult will not go unanswered." She said in a dark tone as Jory looked down at Alan again. "That can wait. We must help Mr. Frost here recover from his injuries first. His shoulder blade is primarily fixed; it just needs to settle. As for his arm, it requires time for the flesh to knit, and even then he will need months for it to completely heal. But it will become notably better within the day. However…. I believe you two had better discuss the other… 'matter'… without my presence." Jory said, his last sentence being worded carefully. Alan glanced down at his hands again, raising his left one to look at them. His words caught in his throat as he felt like choking.

Blue lines crisscrossed over his hand, down to the middle of his forearm. His veins, normally a very, very pale blue like normal human beings, was now a pronounced dark blue. They crisscrossed over his arm and under like some elaborate tattoo, fading to normal near the middle of his forearm. Bringing his left hand upto his face, he laid his palm against his cheek, feeling it's icy coldness. The words Ashe had said to him came rushing back to him as his mood darkened. Jory had walked out of the room, leaving him and Lissandra inside. Grunting, he sat up, experiencing a nauseating lurching feeling as he did so. He took a few moments to recover before he turned his head up towards Lissandra, looking at her. She sat in the seat next to his bed, her stare hidden behind her mask.

"You _lied _to me." He said darkly, anger brooding behind his words as Lissandra barely stopped herself from flinching at his accusation. Even though she expected him to say this, it struck her harder when it actually happened.  
>"I did not." She answered calmly.<br>"You did not tell me anything about this happening." Alan raised his left arm, his right still numb to his commands, showing her his blue markings. "Ashe told me everything." He said.

"Oh, were you busy listening to her tales? Was this the reason you lost to her?" Lissandra asked, sarcasm dripping from her words.  
>"She came to visit me hours before I was to leave. To warn me about you. To tell me you were lying. And I told her I didn't care about that. I swore my allegiance to you after I had drawn this fabled sword of yours." He said. Lissandra opened her mouth, about to say something, but Alan cut her off.<br>"I WAS READY TO DIE FOR YOU!" He shouted, his hair covering his pained eyes. Lissandra's words died at her throat, her mouth remaining open for a few seconds in shock before she closed it. "That night… I was absolutely no match for Ashe. I thought I was going to die. I kept fighting till the end, refusing to die, yet deep down, I knew I was going to… And I was prepared to die for you."

"And the most you did was not tell me that even if I survived it all, even if I fought all your battles and won you your throne, I would die regardless." He ended his words with that quiet statement. Lissandra was keenly aware of the hollow feeling inside of her. Why was she feeling like this? This was all planned, other than Alan finding out about It so soon… But then why was she feeling like her stomach had filled up with lead?

"I…. I'm… " Lissandra swallowed, trying to swallow her bruised pride with the same gesture. It was not easy for her to be doing this, but a part of her was pushing her to do this. "I'm so-"

"Save it. Your words won't change anything now. I was prepared to die for you… And I still am. That's what I signed up for when I drew Frig Ascutis. And besides, I owe you my life for rescuing me out of that avalanche." Alan said, his icy blue eyes seemed to glow from behind the curtain of snow white that was his hair. "Look me in the eyes, Lissandra. Look me in the eyes and tell me you won't hide anything from me again." He said, his voice resolute. Lissandra's mind was searching for the words to deny him, but then his hand reached for her face, his fingertips gently caressing along her jawline. The words in her mind faded as her breath caught in her chest.  
>"Atleast… let me see… let me know the face of the Queen… that I will fight and die for." He whispered, his voice low and whispery, like a gentle winter's breeze. She sat as still as a statue as he reached up with his on hand, to the mask that covered her face. His thumb traced the edge and then hooked inside… A small tug and the entire helmet came loose at its seams. He gently pulled it out, the movement causing the rest of the helmet to fall to the ground around her and stared at her in awe.<p>

The rest of Lissandra's face had the same skin coloration as her revealed parts had suggested; a light shade of blue. Her eyes were that same shade of periwinkle that he had once seen, but this time, he could also see flecks of light blue arranged around her iris like a starburst, originating from her pupil. But the biggest surprise was her hair. It was white, that much was known before hand. But on top of her head…

"Are those… ears?" He asked as a pink tinge entered Lissandra's cheeks, the ice queen looking more like a abashed schoolgirl than the imposing lady she had been a few minutes earlier. In response, one of the two furry white protrusions on her head twitched, confirming his question. "Yes… Iceborn who are born with as much innate magical power as I was have ears like these. They're quite sensitive so I tend to keep them well protected." She said, trying extremely hard to keep her composure, like it was nothing to her. Her attempts were failing very visibly as she trembled from the effort, a large pink tinge covering her face.

"They're… cute." He muttered, blinking, staring at them as one twitched again. Lissandra became even redder as she made a small yelp of embarrassment and drew her fist back. A second later, her fist shot forward at Alan and everything was black.

…

"I'm sorry." Lissandra said, her helmet back in place as Alan finally regained consciousness again, massaging his jaw with his uninjured hand. "Ow… That really hurt."

"Well, serves you right." Lissandra said indignantly, seemingly losing that shyness she had earlier. "Next time you touch my helmet, I will have Reinhart neuter you." She said as Alan stared at her incredulously.  
>"Woah, just take it easy man." He said, raising his hands.<p>

"I'm a woman." Lissandra corrected, with a small hint of irritation.

Before they could say more, Reinhart entered the camp.

"M'lady, we have a problem." He said solemnly, glancing once at Alan.  
>"What is it?" She asked, standing up, rigid straight, losing all trace of the ease she had while talking with Alan moments before. Alan thought Lissandra resembled the arctic winds quite a lot. Just like the winds, she seemed to be one person at one moment then completely change into another person.<p>

"Ashe's forces march on us." He said as Lissandra was silent for a few seconds in shock.  
>"…What?" She finally said.<br>"She knew we wouldn't be expecting an attack since we're the ones about to siege their city. And with our champion down, she's taking this opportunity to lay assault." He said.

"Assemble the men at once. Leave no hole in our guard." Lissandra said as Reinhart nodded. "At once." He said, ducking out of the tent. Lissandra turned back around to find the bed empty. Looking around the room, she found Alan near the other side of the tent, where his armor was placed on a mount. It had been polished and small repairs had been made so it looked good as new from the wear-and-tear it had received in the battle against Tryndamere. Alan was struggling to pull his hauberk on with one hand.

"What do you think you're doing?" Lissandra asked, storming over to him.  
>"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm getting ready for war." He said, wincing as pain shot throughout his body, namely his right arm.<br>"You're badly injured, I do not think you will be going anywhere." She said firmly as Alan finally pulled it on, staring at Lissandra with that same icy fire in his eyes he had a few minutes ago. For some reason, that fire in his eyes always seemed to make Lissandra's icy wall of indifference tremble like it was made of jelly.

"I'm your champion Lissandra. Now, last time I checked, I'm not a direct subordinate to you. So while I do have to follow your lead and fight your battles, I do not necessarily have to obey all of your commands. So we can sit here and dawdle about it all day or you can help me put my armor on." He said as Lissandra blinked at his determination. He was a very curious person. He was childish at times, like a young boy, but during moments like these… He seemed to be a man who took duty and responsibility seriously.

Seeing as there was no way to deter him, she sighed and grabbed his armor. She helped him strap on his breastplate, then the plackart. She then helped him put his gauntlets on, namely on his bandaged right arm. He winced slightly as she tightened the straps on it. She then helped him attach the pauldrons onto his shoulders and breastplate, locking them firmly in place. He didn't wear any besagews or couters, as they would limit his mobility. He had recently decided not to wear a gorget or a helmet, as that limited his visibility.

Finally, he picked up Frig Ascutis from its place upon the sword mount next to the armor mount. It thrummed in his hand, as if it was happy at being reunited and Alan himself felt a surge of power go through his body. Placing Frig Ascutis on its familiar spot at his waist, he turned around to look at Lissandra. She stared back at him, aware of the awkward silence stretching inbetween them. Seeing nothing to be spoken, Alan sidestepped her with a small "Thanks." For helping him with the armor and began walking out of the tent. Just as he was about to exit-  
>"Alan." Lissandra said as Alan stopped at the threshold, turning around to look at her. "Yeah?" He asked as Lissandra turned around, her lips flat as the mask of indifference settled on her. "Don't die. That's a command." She said as Alan smirked. "That, is a command I'll obey to the best of my capabilities." He replied, walking out as Lissandra watched him go.<p>

…

Two large scale battles within a such a short time. Alan didn't know if this was good or bad. But there he stood, at the head of the vanguard. His presence strengthened the morale of all the troops, as they had cheered when they saw him walk into the field, his long cape of blue flying behind him. Though he wore the armor of the Congelate Elite, his armor was slightly different, unique in its own way. It was armor fit for large battles like this, yet less heavier and more ornate than the other Congelate Elite's armor. And on the pauldrons and cape, where the symbol of the Congelate Elite should be, was Alan's own unique symbol, made from an adaptation of Lissandra's faction insignia with a black and white sword going down the middle. The sword was separated with a jagged line in the middle of the blade diagonally, easily recognized as Frig Ascutis with its half black-blade and half dark-ice blade.

They were at the same open area infront of Rakkelstake as they were when they battled Tryndamere's barbarians, so Alan got a strange feeling of Déjà vu. He watched Ashe's force slowly march towards them, waiting. He closed off all of his senses, focusing inwards so he could hear the pounding of his heart.

_dubDub... dubDub…. dubDub…._

Slowly, the world around him came back into focus as he pulled at his mana, pouring it into Frig Ascutis' blade, as well as pulling some of the mana out of the blade's reserves and into the blade itself. This felt natural to him. He didn't know why he was doing this, but it felt like instinct. And he knew not to distrust his instinct. Soon enough, his sword, which had taken its usual 3 foot form, was glowing with diffused blue light, emanating a hum of power. Cold air visibly misted around the sword, emanating from it in waves as Alan felt it humming in his grasp. Finally, the two armies were close as warhorns trumpeted on both sides.

"FOR LISSANDRA!" Their army shouted.  
>"FOR FRELJORD!" Ashe's army shouted.<p>

Both sides charged at each other, but a whistling noise brought Alan's attention up. Arrows arched up from Ashe's side of the battlefield, reaching high into the air and slowly beginning to dive down at them. His stomach fell at the sight, as he didn't have a shield like most others hand.

"MEN! PHALANX AROUND THE CHAMPION!" Gunther, the captain of the vanguard, shouted as the men around Alan suddenly stopped running forwards. Instead, the pushed at Alan from all sides, catching him by surprise and forcing him down onto his knees. Alan didn't know what was happening, about to protest until he saw the men around him hoisting their shields up over their heads, locking each shield with the next to form an impenetrable ceiling of metal and darkice. All around the vanguard, all the soldiers did the same, while the soldiers at the edge placed their shields towards the outside, forming walls. Alan was caught in the middle and it was obvious this was to protect him.

The hail of arrows landed on them like raindrops of metal hitting a roof of metal. Clanking noises began echoing all around him, hundreds upon hundreds of noises. Some arrows fell through gaps in the shields. Here and there, Alan heard the pained cries of those who got hit echo inside of the phalanx.

Finally, as the barrage stopped, Gunther shouted out another command, incoherent to Alan in the echoing din of the shields all around him scraping against each other as they all got out of formation. Then, a shockwave seemed to go throughout all of the men around Alan as they collided with the Freljordian charge. He grabbed a soldier next to him and said, "Hold your shield at an angle towards me and stand there."

The soldier looked confused but complied, quickly pushing through others to go ahead of Alan, where he had told him to go, his back to the main battle behind him. He crouched down and slanted his shield, like Alan had told him. Alan took a few steps back then ran forward, jumping off of the shield of that man, almost flying over the line of shields and spears where the Iceborn met the Freljord.

"FOR LISSANDRA!" He shouted above them, swinging his sword down at them and releasing all the energy that was stored in the blade.

A blue wave of energy exploded from the sword, arcing outwards and hitting the Freljord army beneath him. As soon the wave hit, it exploded, dark ice tearing out of the ground. Soldiers were frozen instantly or cut into shreds by the razor sharp dark ice. And it didn't stop at only his arc. Crystals of razor sharp dark ice were sprouting up all over the Freljordian side of the battle field, as Alan landed in the midst of a crystalline circle. The Iceborn cheered as they saw the enemies dying like flies and, with one large push, broke through the line of Freljords and entered the battle in whole. Alan stood there, his icy blue eyes glowing with the fervor of using so much mana in one go, staring across the battlefield at Ashe, who stood way back in the battlefield, leading the Archers. Their eyes met for an instant and Alan saw her icy periphery give nothing away. His own frigid gaze was directed back at her, a moment that seemed to stretch before he had to disengage the visual contact to fend off the man who had rushed at him.

This time, Alan was fighting to win, not to survive. He used both his combative skills and his powers in cryomancy hand in hand, parrying a blade only to launch a shard of dark ice into the exposed midriff of his opponent, or making a slick sheet of ice on the ground in front of him so the 3 men charging at him slipped and fell, sliding over to him where they met their ends at his blade. Finding a moment's reprieve, he took a look at his surroundings.

The battle being waged was still quite the equal fight, with the chance of it going either way. But Alan was making a difference as the Iceborn were pressing more on the Avarosans. Lissandra was slowly advancing at the rear of the army, laying down supporting fire via her cryomancy, summoning large shards of ice to slice and dice through any Avarosan who had the luck of becoming her target. Reinhart was right there infront of her, guarding her along with the other members of the Congelate.

Alan himself was like a piercing arrow, as he had cut his way through soldiers until he was in the midst of the Avarosan sea. Soldiers surrounded him on all sides, but strangely, they were not advancing on him.

And then, the soldiers infront of him stepped aside to allow a fully armored warrior to enter the circle. Alan stared curiously at the man. He was covered head-to-toe in silver armor, a winged helmet covering his face. He was as tall as Alan was, and thinner than Alan would've thought the person to be, given his seemingly heavy armor.

"You will meet your end here, Alan Frost." The man said, with a voice muffled and deep.  
>"The last few soldiers that came at me said the same thing." Alan said as he raised Frig Ascutis infront of him, pointing the tip of the blade at the knight. "Now they are dead."<p>

"As you will be." The knight said, pulling out a peculiar looking weapon. It looked like the grip of a bow, black in color, with two jagged black edges protruding from both ends of the grip. The black metal of the bow-like weapon seemed familiar.

It was only when Alan's Frig Ascutis throbbed in his hand did he realize as his eyes went wide. "No way."

"Did you believe Lissandra was the only one in possession of one of the 3 ice weapons of legend? And that you were some sort of unique chosen one? " The knight said, in a slightly mocking tone; his muffled voice made it hard to tell. The knight held up the weapon in his hands, as the air suddenly froze around it. Two long blades of ice formed on both sides of the grib, making a very large, very deadly looking crescent shaped dual blade. Alan stared at it in shock. "That is…"

"Some call it a faeblade. Others call it crescent blades, moonblades, demon wings. Even Warglaives. But its true name… Is Frig Dinte. 'Cold Fang.' " The knight said, spinning the blade around infront of him before taking a stance, low to the ground, with the blade held above and behind him. "Come on then, Alan. Let us see how your Edge holds up against my Fang."

Alan only spared himself a few more moments of shock before he steeled himself and ran forwards. He realized how big of a mistake that was and changed his mind after he had closed half-the-distance, and decision saved his life. The knight suddenly lunged forward, whipping around Frig Dinte as cold winds with bits of ice and snow followed his spinning motion, almost turning him into a whirlwind of razor sharp ice. As the lunge came near Alan, he managed to jump backwards, falling onto his back as Frig Dinte sliced through the air where he had been standing moments before. If he had kept running forwards, he wouldn't have had time to dodge and he would probably be dead.

Alan couldn't find a moment to reflect on his brush with death as the Knight raised his Twinblades over his head, spinning it around and stopping it so that it was vertical, one of the points glimmering wickedly down at Alan. Alan did a backwards-vault, pushing off with his hands when he was upside down and jumping back to his feet a few feet away, as Frig Dinte was brought down viciously, almost half of one of the blades digging into the snow where Alan had been moments ago.

"You're better than I expected." The knight said as Alan steadied his breath. The man pulled his weapon out of the ground and fluidly got into his stance again. Alan decided to outsmart his deadly opponent. He jumped forward, swinging his sword at the knight, just so that the tip of his sword would slice into his opponent, which would in turn…

…cause the knight to backstep away from his strike, as the knight just did. As soon as Alan's Frig Ascutis sliced through the air, his right arm came up and shot a shard of dark ice at the knight. In a flash, the knight's own free hand came up and a thin, rectangular pillar of ice suddenly shot out of the ground at an angle. Alan's ice shard hit the angled pillar in a way that it was deflected into the ground. Alan stared in shock.

"You're a cryomancer?" He said in disbelief as the knight stomped down on the pillar of ice he had made. The pillar was actually quite thin, but its angle made the shard deflect harmlessly instead of the shard shattering through the wall. It was quite an ingenious move that saved a lot of time and mana for the Knight. Alan swore he could feel the smirk of the knight as the man replied, "I never took you for someone who underestimated his opponents."

"You make the mistake of underestimating me." Alan said, his bluff halfhearted. He had been using his left arm so far, as his right arm was still injured. But against an opponent like this, he didn't think he could win with his left arm alone.

This time, they both charged at each other, slashing at each other and parrying as well. Alan was forced into the defensive within the first few seconds; his ineptness with his left arm playing a factor but the main reason was how fluidly the knight used both blades of his Frig Dinte, not to mention how the knight switched hands easily in between the battle, moving his own body constantly so he could not be an easy target either. Every now and then, their energy flared up as their cryomancy clashed, Alan always looking for an opening to fire a shard of ice at, only to have that opening become protected by the Knight's own cryomancy.

His thoughts became split-second long words, all of his focus invested in parrying the strikes that came at him.  
><em>Left right left left down up right up left down right right up right lef-<em>

Alan ducked under the sweeping slice and dove through the knight's legs, executing a forward roll to come up into a crouch behind the knight. He swung his sword backwards, only for Frig Ascutis to meet the blade of Frig Dinte. The Knight had blocked his attack and just as he retaliated, Alan rolled forward again, creating some distance from the knight and dodging the retaliation. Standing back up again, Alan panted, his exhaustion showing, but the Knight must've been even more tired in that huge armor and heavy weapon of his.

Suddenly, Alan had an idea. Standing up again, he lunged at the Knight, thrusting his sword forwards. The knight planting his Frig Dinte into the ground vertically, the top of Alan's Frig Ascutis hitting the edge of one of the blades of Frig Dinte and skidding off to the left, as the knight dodged right. And suddenly, Alan poured his mana into the dark ice blade of his sword, morphing his blade into something resembling a Pickaxe, with a sharp curved teeth protruding downwards from the middle of his blade. And that tooth was formed just a split second before it sliced through the Knight's right shoulder, cutting through metal and mail and into flesh. The knight cried out in pain and surprise as Alan took the opportunity to detach the dark ice blade from Frig Ascutis, leaving the heavy blade attached to the knight. With Alan no longer supporting the blade up, the weight of the blade caused the tooth to dig deeper into the knight's flesh, pushing him off balance and off guard as Alan spun around from the other side of Frig Dinte, another blade of dark ice already forming on Frig Ascutis, this one short and sharp.

Alan stuck it into the left shoulder blade of the knight, disabling both of his arms as the Knight uttered another cry of pain, stumbling back, his hands coming loose from Frig Dinte. Alan pressed to his advantage, detaching the blade again as he pulled Frig Ascutis back and landed a solid kick into the knight's midriff.

The Knight fell backwards from the kick, slamming into the ground as a trickle of blood poured from both of his injured shoulders. The dark ice blades were still embedded, otherwise there would be a lot more blood. Alan gasped from the small burst he had gone through, his mana reserves almost completely gone as his body seemed to shudder with exhaustion. But he had won the battle, as cheers all around him indicated that the Iceborn were now surrounding him, not only the Avarosan. Seeing their champion had fallen, the Avarosans all began retreating as Alan forced himself to stay standing, looking over the retreating backs of the Avarosans to lock eyes with Ashe again.

Ashe's eyes were cold and furious, obviously angry at him for having defeated her Champion. Alan rose his Frig Ascutis up, pointing the jagged black unfinished blade at Ashe, his hands shaking but his message clear and firm.

_You're next._

* * *

><p><strong>I know what you must be all thinking.<br>"Wao such cliffhanger much plottwist very Frig weapons 3battle5me rito hire tis gui nao alan so sax who is knight?"**

**Most of it will be answered next chapter. Stay frosty, bros.**

**- Wings Senpai**


	8. Chapter 8

**Yo guys, it's Wings again with another chapter of In her Icy Embrace!  
><strong>

**In this chapter, we see the mysterious Champion of Avarosa unmasked, and trust me when I say it's a surprise!  
>We also see a good teaser about the upcoming center of the plotline as well as answering a few questions that it raises. But, the chapter leaves us with more questions left unanswered than answers given~<strong>

**After all ,that's what a chapter should do, no? Keep you guessing? ;)**

**ALSO  
>For those faithful readers of mine, as well as any of you who might think I am a good enough writer, you will be happy to know I have posted a small teaser about an upcoming story, which will be the sequel to one of my best stories, The Shadow that Watches. For you guys who have not read it, it's a Zed x Akali story with lots of character development, drama and romance! And it's gonna get a sequel soon!<strong>

**ALSO x2  
>I've been drawing alot recently. I do artworks of my characters as well as scenes from different stories. One day I might just draw a scene from this story or Alan himself. To keep up with my art, do visit my devart xD my name there is the same as my name here.<strong>

**Music Recommendation: Infinite by Skrux ft Anna Yvette [Dubstep]**

**Enjoy**

* * *

><p><strong>In Her Icy Embrace<strong>

**Chapter 8: **

All around Alan, the cheers had slowly dropped down as he stood in the middle of what was once an expanse of white snow. Now, different hues of red colored the snow all around them, while pillars of dark ice rose here and there. In front of him, the Knight, Ashe's Champion, sat on his knees, the majority of the dark ice blades on his shoulders broken off so only the parts which were embedded into his flesh stayed, preventing the blood from flowing freely. Soon, Lissandra and Reinhart came upon them, Lissandra's face hidden as always while Reinhart pulled his helmet off to look at the defeated Champion before them.

"So, this is Ashe's Champion, is it?" Lissandra said haughtily as the Knight turned his helmeted head towards Lissandra. "I'm not an It." He said, his voice echoing, deep and muffled behind the helmet.  
>"Well then, lets see the face behind the mask." Reinhart said, as Alan stepped forward and grasped the long plume of blue hair that decorated the top of the helmet. He pulled it off briskly, revealing a very large mass of golden locks that had been stuffed inside the helmet. Emerald eyes burned with anger, staring at them, taking note of the surprise on their faces.<p>

Alan was so surprised, he dropped the helmet he had taken off. "You're a woman!?"  
>"<em>Ofcourse not<em>, I am _clearly_ a goddamn penguin." The champion said, her words dripping with sarcasm. Lissandra, however, didn't miss a beat as she tilted her head. "A human as well… What is your name?" She asked as their captive looked up at her. "None of your damn business, you usurping bi-AAAGH!" Her words were cut off with a scream as, with a flick of Lissandra's hand, a shard of dark ice erupted out of the snow at an angle beside the woman and pierced itself into her right thigh. As she bent over and grasped her new wound with her weak, trembling hands, gasping for breath, Lissandra coldly said, " Do not forget you are now in my custody and I will do as I see fit to you. Now answer the question."

"Analia… Grace…" The woman, Analia, managed to hiss out. Lissandra made another gesture with her hands and the two dark ice shards that were embedded in both of Analia's shoulders trembled a second before Analia screamed. Small tiny thorns formed on the visible parts of the shards, no doubt replicated all along the length inside, hooking themselves into her flesh. Another movement with her hands and the dark ice was shoved away from Lissandra, pulling Analia with them. The once proud champion fell back into the snow, screaming in pain as the thorny shards of ice in her shoulders clutched her flesh from the inside and pulled her back as they were moved.

"Lissandra, what are you doing!?" Alan shouted, finally stepping forward and grabbing Lissandra's hand at the wrist. There was a flash of power as Alan was shoved back forcefully by a wave of power as Lissandra turned her cold look upon him. She faltered as she saw that she had mistakenly hurt Alan, too caught up in her bloodlust against Ashe to have noticed. "I… Don't… Touch me." Lissandra said in a low voice, turning around as Alan stared angrily at her, standing back up.  
>"I don't care, but you are not going to torture her." Alan said firmly as Lissandra looked at him again, her burning gaze felt even through her mask. "I will do as I please, she forfeited her life when she chose to fight for Ashe." She replied, equally as firm. Electricity seemed to build up in the air as the two stared each other down. Finally, Reinhart stepped in. "Milady… I believe the woman, Analia, might hold some key information relating to Ashe. I request you to allow her to live so that we might extract this information." He said, his dark blue eyes shifting from Lissandra to Alan and then he turned to look down at Analia, who was struggling on the ground.<p>

"Fine. So be it." Lissandra said, turning around and storming off. Alan looked at Reinhart and a small look of understanding passed between them. Alan then walked off, following Lissandra, leaving Reinhart with Analia. He walked over to her prone form, finding her with her teeth gritted in pain, trying to stand up again but each small movement causing immense pain due to the thorns inside, tears flowing freely from her fiery, emerald eyes that refused to give up. She looked up at him.  
>"What, have you come to jest, Ser knight?" She asked poisonously as Reinhart stared down at her. He looked around and spotted a soldier nearby as he called the man. "You. Yes, you. Get Jory." The soldier nodded and hurried off, as Reinhart looked back down at the woman, her long golden hair splayed all around her head on the snow, her green eyes glaring at him.<br>"Save your pity, I don't need it nor want it. Just leave me to die." She said as Reinhart blinked. "Didn't you hear me? You're coming with us and telling us everything you know." He said simply, staring down flatly at the woman's glare.

…

"What the fuck was that out there, Lissandra?" Alan asked as he walked into Lissandra's tent, anger pronounced in all his movements. Lissandra turned around to look at him as he continued, "Torturing someone after they've been defeated? She's a goddamn Champion, like me!" he said.  
>"She's Ashe's Champion." Lissandra said, her voice equally heated as Alan's eyes narrowed with rage.<br>"And that makes it all right to humiliate her with pain, does it!? She fought with honor, as did I. We fought each other as champions. Ashe defeated me in her castle, yet she did not torture me. She did not imprison me. She let me _live _and she let me _come back_. " His words were emphasized powerfully as he spoke, stepping very close to Lissandra.

And then they noticed how very close they were standing to each other. Lissandra kept forgetting how tall he was, and the way her cold breath mixed with his warm breath inbetween their faces, which was inches apart, was strangely intoxicating… His eyes were so blue. Not just any kind of blue, but so bright as well. Like the ice itself…

And then the moment fell apart as Alan closed his eyes and turned away, pushing the churning feelings inside of him aside as he looked away from her. "I simply don't want you to become the bloodthirsty, merciless woman that Ashe claims you are." He said quietly as Lissandra's confused feelings were all washed away by a deluge of even more indiscernible emotions. Was she actually feeling… ashamed?

She shook off her odd sentiment and bristled visibly. "You may leave now, Alan." She said in a contained, low voice. There was a flash of something in Alan's eyes as he looked back at her over his shoulder that looked like pain. But his eyes hardened an instant later and he stalked out of the room, not looking back again.

…

From there, he went to where Lydia was. She was in a small tent that belonged to her and her father, Jory, sitting on the floor. Infront of her, lay the black handle that was the dormant form of Frig Dinte.

"Hey Alan." Lydia said as she watched him walk in. "What's up?" He asked her as she went back to looking at Frig Dinte. "I'm inspecting it… But so far, it's not reacting at all. Maybe it'd react to you, since you wield Frig Ascutis." She said as Alan shrugged. "It's worth a try." He said as he stepped closer. Frig Ascutis gave a throb at his waist, where it was mounted, as he paused to look down at it. Then, he reached out and touched Frig Dinte.

_Darkness. Everything was on fire. Purple Fire. Black Fire. Fire burns. Burns so much. Freljord. Freljord in ruins. Freljord in shambles. Freljord no more. The world is in disarray. Everything burns. Everything hurts. It hurts. Everything. Destroyed. Decimated. Decapitated. Defabricated. Disintegrated._

"_Knowledge…. Through Disintegration."_

_Flash of Purple._

"…ALAN! WAKE UP! ALAN!"  
>Alan was dimly aware of someone shaking him. His eyes opened up to see Lydia's face above his own, her eyes wide with fear and panic. He was lying on the ground. "Ugh… Wha-" The flashes and images of what he saw moments ago came flashing back to him. He jolted up, shoving Lydia back forcefully as he managed to throw himself out of the tent. He landed on his knees outside, just in time as he retched, emptying the contents of his stomach. Lydia stared at him from inside, fear and confusing etched on her face. He heaved a couple of times, even when there was nothing else left inside of him to vomit out, taking large breaths until he finally calmed down. He felt nauseated by the horrendous images he saw… And a voice. He heard a voice. A deep, otherworldly ancient voice almost humming with power. Then there was a flash of purple light and he felt so much pain…<p>

"Alan… Are you okay?" Lydia asked as Alan panted, wiping his mouth with the back of his bandaged right arm. "No… I'm… Yeah…" Alan muttered, turning away from the regurgitated contents of his stomach and breathing some fresh, cool northern air. He felt warm. Very Warm. Like he was burning up. "Fuck fuck fuck." He muttered, feeling like he was suddenly catching fire. He quickly began pulling at his armor straps, pulling them open. Within moments, his breastplate and cuirass fell to the snow and sank a few inches due to their weight. Lydia blushed and covered her mouth as she looked at Alan suddenly stripping down, revealing the rippling muscles on along his torso. Within a short amount of time, he had developed a very nice body.

"A-ALAN!? W-W-What are y-you doing!?" Lydia exclaimed as Alan pulled off his gauntlets as well, arching his back like he was in pain or something. "It burns… I… Ugh!" He muttered, throwing his gauntlets away after he had taken them off. He dived forward, landing in the snow on his front as he sighed in relief. He moaned in relief as the coolness of the snow gave him reprieve from his burning skin. He turned around, giving his back the same treatment, sighing in bliss.

"Uh… What's happening?" Lydia asked in confused embarrassment as Alan opened his eyes and looked at her. "I felt like I was burning up." He said as Lydia blinked, her shyness going away as she straightened up a bit. Walking over to where Alan lay topless (thank the watchers he didn't take off his trousers), she crouched down and put her hand on his forehead, his cheeks, his neck then (a bit tentatively) his chest.

"You don't have a fever… So I d- ALAN, YOUR HAND!?" Lydia almost screamed, stumbling back as Alan pulled his hands up. He braced himself for the worst and as he looked upon his hands, he grimaced. His skin color had returned to normal but dark blue tattoos now decorated his hands upto the elbow. The Tattoos looked tribal in nature, almost. Aggressive points, sharp curves and ornate design. The corruption from Frig Ascutis was spreading, it seemed.

"This is just something visual. I'm fine." Alan lied, giving Lydia a small smile that he hoped would ease her tension. Lydia looked unconvinced but she nodded in acceptance.

5 minutes later, he was standing outside of Lissandra's tent, debating on whether he would go in and tell her what happened. He should tell her. It was the right thing to do. But would Lissandra truly give him anything in return? He didn't just want to inform Lissandra that he had a horrific vision from touching another legendary weapon, he wanted answers as to why that happened. And the only person who could provide such answers….

Alan clenched his teeth, finding no other option left as he turned around and began walking away.

…

As he walked into the tent, Jory looked at him disapprovingly. "You need to make this woman understand that I'm trying to heal her, not rape her." He said flatly as Reinhart's eyes shifted over to the cot, where Analia sat with a scorching anger in her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest, which was wrapped up by bandages from the shoulder to her midriff, yet otherwise bared. Trousers covered her legs, although it was cut short on her right leg to expose her right thigh, which was also wrapped up with bandages.

"You had no right to humiliate me like this!" Analia said in a voice that dripped with venom. Jory regarded her impassively for a few moments before turning to Reinhart. "She didn't even utter a sound when I was sewing her wounds, but take an article of her clothing off and she was going ballistic." He shook his head. "Women. Beh."

As Jory walked out, walked further into the tent and sat down in a chair set beside the cot. Analia watched him with suspicion, eyes narrowed as she inched slightly away from him on the cot. She wasn't bound by anything since she was already weaponless and armorless; one couldn't do much when in that situation while surrounded by an army.

"You're human." Reinhart calmly said as Analia narrowed her eyes at him. "Gee, I wonder what gave that away. Was it my hair?" She sneered sarcastically, which Reinhart ignored, staring at her. Finally, she sighed. "Ofcourse I'm a human. So is the rest of the people in Rakkelstake." She said as Reinhart continued to stare at her. "Then how did you, out of all the other humans in Rakkelstake, find Frig Dinte." He asked as Analia blinked at him like he was stupid. "How the hell would I know? I was a simple merchant's girl before I happened upon that cursed thing. Atleast Ashe had the decency to tell me of my ill fate and give me the chance out of it, unlike your frosty bitch queen."

_**Slap**_

Analia's head whipped to the side as Reinhart's hand shot out. "Do not insult Queen Lissandra infront of me. I do not care if you are a knight or a woman, I will not have you insult her in my presence." Reinhart calmly said as he rubbed the back of the hand he had used to slap her with his other hand. Analia turned her head back to him as fire steadily grew in the back of her eyes, as she stared at him with rage.

"Is this how much your 'honor' and 'devotion' to her is proven!? By disarming and shaming a captured knight and then slapping her!?" She shouted. Before Reinhart could say anything, the woman spit at his face. He closed his eyes, calmly wiping his face with his hand as the woman drew back with disgust in her eyes. "You're pathetic." She said, glaring at him. Reinhart stared at her then stood up and walked outside, to calm his temper which was slowly rising behind his cool exterior. This woman was going to be a handful.

…

The hall looked different this time around. Maybe because it was still daylight outside and he wasn't spending his time in here getting murdered. Everything sparkled and shone as he walked down the center of the hall, guards in full armor all around the room, watching him behind their helmets yet not moving an inch. Ashe sat upon a large throne at the far end of the room, watching him walk in.

"You do realize I could kill you right now." Ashe said as Alan stopped at the appropriate distance from her throne, staring up at her. "Well, you could've killed me before the gates to the castle even opened. Pretty sure those archers up on the wall don't hold their bows for decoration." He answered.

Ashe didn't reply for a few seconds, but Alan felt the tension in the air lighten a lot. "Fair enough. Why are you here, Alan?" She asked as Alan thought about how he was going to put his question into words.

"I touched Frig Dinte. And Something strange happened." He said as Ashe paused the little movement she was doing. She then leaned forward, propping her right arm on her right knee and closing her right fist infront of her mouth as she waited for Alan to go on. "I saw… A vision of sorts. There was a lot of chaos and destruction. I saw everything in ruins. Everything was burning… Then I heard a voice. It was a deep voice… And then there was a purple flash."  
>"The Watcher." Ashe whispered as Alan looked at her in surprise. Ashe looked pale, a bit unnerved which was really something as Alan didn't expect Ashe to ever lose her composure.<br>"The Watcher?" He asked as Ashe nodded, standing up and turning around. Alan followed her gaze and saw, that behind her throne, taking up most of the wall, was a large engraved ice painting of a beautiful woman who looked like Ashe. Alan could only assume that it was her ancestor, Avarosa. Lissandra's sister.

"Long ago, there was a time when Avarosa and her sisters lived together in harmony. Then the watchers came… I won't bore you with the details, but suffice to say, Lissandra betrayed her sisters and fought for the watchers. They were, however, defeated and the watchers sealed away below the Howling Abyss. But legend states that they will once again rise, and only a hero wielding the weapon that defies knowledge can stop him." Ashe said, her voice echoing in the silence of the room.

"A weapon that defies knowledge? What does that even mean?" Alan asked as Ashe turned back around, fixing her blue eyes on him. "I do not know, Alan Frost. But from what you have told me, I believe it has something to do with your weapon as well as Analia's…." Ashe paused, then opened her mouth again before Alan interrupted, "She's fine. I… I stopped Lissandra from doing anything rash."

Surprisingly, Ashe's face lost the cold, distant look she was holding and softened into a sad smile. "Thank you, Alan. Though we are enemies, I must admit… I am a bit proud to have been correct in my assumption that you have a sense of justice." She said. Alan didn't know how to reply to that, and he didn't really need to as Ashe's face slowly hardened back to the face that belonged to Queen Ashe of Rakkelstake.

"But I must ask… Why did you come to me with this? I don't think Lissandra would've agreed to let you come here to tell me…" Ashe trailed off, connecting the dots in her head as she looked at Alan skeptically.  
>"She doesn't know, does she?" Ashe asked as Alan shook his head. "You… Were right. Lissandra does lie from time to time. But I knew that if I wanted a straight answer, you'd be the one to give it to me." He said as Ashe gave him an approving glance.<p>

"Do you believe me when I say that this throne is not rightfully Lissandra's?" She asked as Alan crossed his arms, brows slightly furrowed in thought. "Perhaps. But I have already given my allegiance to her. You say I have a sense of justice, I say I have a sense of honor as well. As a Man, I will stick to the vows I have taken." He said as Ashe's smile returned.

"Well said, Alan Frost." She said, doing a small gesture with her hand. "Before you leave however, I must offer you a warning…" Alan raised an eyebrow as Ashe stared down at him, thinking her words through. "You can never know who is _watching._" She said, her sentence sounding strangely ominous in the sense that it sent a shudder down Alan's spine. "And do me a small favour." Ashe said, swinging her right arm back then forwards as she threw a small, glittering object at Alan. Alan grabbed it with his left hand as he heard small 'chink' sounds of metal hitting metal. He opened his palm to see a small silver necklace with a light blue crystal.

"Give that to Analia for me, please." Ashe said as Alan gazed down at the necklace before closing his fist, lowering his hand and looking up to Ashe before he nodded. She made another gesture towards the door of the hall as she said, "Go in peace, Alan Frost."

As Alan walked out of the hall, he could feel everyone staring at him. But most of all, he could feel Ashe's icy gaze on his back…

… _Watching him…_

* * *

><p><strong>Why yes, my dearest readers, I decided to end this chapter...<strong>

***puts on shades***

**... On a chilling note.**

**YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH.**

...

**...**

**..**

**...Yeah you guys can leave now. kthnxbai I love you all. Especially the ladies. You girls all know you're beautiful no matter what you think and I would love to snuggle into a blanket and watch movies with you. And the bros too, no homo. You guys know all of you are awesome no matter how bad your hair is and I'd rather play a game together with any of you than do something important, like buying a spaceship.**

**Stay Icy, people~**

**~ Wings-Senpai**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hello guys, sorry for the delay xD**

**I've had alot of... complications going on in my life right now. For those of you who read the poem I released a while back, "Dreams", you already know the story.**

**For those of you who don't, feel free to go read that poem [or to skip the poem and read my author's note at the bottom] if you wish you learn about the troubles I'm facing in life.**

**Anyway, before I begin this chapter, I would like to send a Shoutout to the League of Legends writer, Alsodef, who writes a unique little fic called "Piltover Radio Station." It's basically a fic where Caitlyn hosts a radioshow and there are many cameos and visits by characters or writers in his fic where they do an interview and what not. I was recently asked to participate and I have agreed to it; so Look out for my three Lovely OCs when his next chapter comes out~**

**And a shoutout to my friend, FallenintoAshes aka Metys. I am definitely more Senpai than all your other Senpais, Metys, not matter how reluctant you may be to choose xD**

**So, yeah, I Won't keep you any longer. ONWARDS TO THE CHAPTER!**

**-Wings Senpai**

* * *

><p><strong>Her Icy Embrace<strong>

**Chapter 9**

"Really, do you have nothing better to do in the middle of the night than to pester me?" Analia scoffed as Reinhart flatly stared at her. "Like I said, I've asked the questions and I want the answers." He replied simply as Analia rolled her eyes.  
>"Figures. A face like that, I can't blame you for not having any 'nightly' activities." She said scathingly as Reinhart made a small snorting of derision.<br>"Speak for yourself, woman." He replied.  
>"Ohhh, I could go on and on about myself, but I do not wish to nurture envy within you, Ser Knight. It is no one's fault you have such an edgy look… Except for your scar, I believe that's your fault entirely." She said with a sarcastic smile.<p>

"You know, for a woman who's held captive right now, you have a lot of nerve." Reinhart stated distastefully as he sat in front of Analia, who stared back at him, unimpressed. She was wearing a simple light blue top and a pair of dark grey pants, given to her by Lydia.

"Oh, I'm sorry, should I break into tears and confess all of my sins?" Analia remarked sarcastically, giving him an even more sarcastic look. "Alas, Sir Knight, I am a terrible person! I spent my childhood kicking puppies and as I grew up, it transgressed into me kicking cocky men like you on there asses." She said as Reinhart raised an eyebrow.

"Big words coming from a woman who got defeated by a cocky man." Reinhart said as Analia frowned, her gaze smoldering. "He only won because of the dirty trick he pulled."

"So you're saying you don't lose in fair fights?"  
>"Do I need to spell it out for you?"<p>

"Are you willing to bet on that?"  
>"Depends on what's the ante."<p>

"Tell you what… You pick any of my men to fight, hand to hand. If you lose, you'll divulge all the information you hold about Ashe or anything I might ask of you." Reinhart stated calmly.

"And if I win?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.  
>"Then you've proved me wrong when I claim that you're all bark and no bite." Reinhart said, resisting a smile as he saw her bristle visibly. He had intentionally touched a nerve; her pride, to get away with a bet where he would not lose anything.<p>

"So be it. We shall hold this challenge tomorrow." She agreed.

…

Darkness had fallen in earnest by the time Alan had returned from Rakkelstake. His eyes were stuck to the ceiling of his tent as he lied upon his bed, stripped of his armor into a more comfortable pair consisting of a cotton tunic and pants, white and grey in color respectively. He raised his arms infront of him, while flexing his hands. His right hand had healed mostly, only a scar, still an angry mark as it was a recent wound, but Jory's magical herbs had done wonders. As he flexed his hand, he felt a certain stiffness within, as one would feel if there was some difficulty in moving the particular muscle. But other than that, he felt no pain nor did he feel any lacking of his strength. His other wounds had also healed up, again, thanks to Jory and Lydia. But his arms…

The blue tattoo-like designs spread all around his forearms, forming intricate, web like patterns and fading just before his elbows. He wondered, with a grim expression on his face, how long he had to live. He had no idea how fast this thing would spread or how fast it was spreading. Just a few days ago it was only at his hands and now it was up to his elbows. Sighing, he turned onto his side, pulling the blanket over himself as he reached over and turned off the lantern at his bedside table. Closing his eyes, he allowed himself to fall into slumber…

_He was standing amidst the ruins of what was Rakkelstake castle. People were fighting all around him. Everything seemed to be in slow motion and in diluted colors, seeming more gray than normal. He looked around himself, confused… Iceborn were fighting Iceborn, Avarosans were fighting Avarosans… There seemed to be no distinction of who was fighting whom, except… Many of the people had a purple mark on their foreheads. Only the color purple seemed to be pronounced, stark in contrast with the otherwise desaturated world around him. All the sounds around him also seemed to be muted; as if he was under water. Someone grabbed his arm and pulled him around. He was surprised to see that it was Ashe. "What are you doing! You need to get moving! Hurry, we don't have much ti-" Her voice was cut short as a spear hurled itself through the air and into her left leg, piercing through the back and exiting out the front, shattering her shin in the process as she screamed in pain and fell to her knees._

"_ASHE!" Alan screamed, reaching down to help her, but she shoved him away, looking at him desperately through her blood-streaked hair.  
><em>"_Forget about me, Go! You're our last hope!" She shouted as Alan found himself being pushed around in the throng of fighting, utterly confused.  
><em>"_What's going on!? What's happening? What am I supposed to do!?" He screamed, but no one answered him. No one even seemed to be looking at him. He looked around frantically for Ashe again, or anyone he might've known. He saw a gargantuan figure plowing it's way through the fray, a rider on top. It was Sejuani, her mace flying around her, yet she was badly injured. Even as he watched, the entire area was lit up by a purple flash, blinding Alan for a second. As soon as it dimmed down, Alan saw with horror that a huge hole had appeared in Sejuani's torso, obliterating most of her left midriff as she stared blankly down at it, moments before she fell sideways off of her boar. The animal kept fighting valiantly, but was overwhelmed by the sheer number of people stabbing it._

He heard another scream as he turned the other way, watching with horror as he saw Analia and Reinhart, fighting back to back against the purple-marked soldiers who pressed down on them. Alan began pushing his way to them, shouting Reinhart's name, but even as he struggled to get to them, he watched as a man managed to blindside Reinhart while he was busy dueling with 3 others, slicing Reinhart's sword arm badly at the biceps. As Reinhart almost collapsed, Analia shouted something inaudible over the sheer silence of the room; quickly grabbing Reinhart and supporting him up while she wielded a sword at the crowd descending upon them, valiantly defending herself and the incapacitated Reinhart.

_Where was her Frig Dinte? Why was she not using it? Her eyes met with Alan's for a split second and her mouth opened as if she was about to say something, but there was another blinding flash of purple light as a thin beam of purple shot through both Reinhart and Analia, fired from such an angle as to pierce through both of their chests. The words died in Analia's throat as blood erupted out of her mouth instead, as the sword fell from her grasp and she fell to her knees, Reinhart having already fallen forward onto all fours. Almost simultaneously, both of them fell forward, Analia's face covered by her long, golden hair as she fell, her fall muted in the crushing pressure of the situation._

_Alan was so lost, so confused. He was panicking, unable to understand what was happening. He looked behind him and saw Ashe, still kneeling where she had been kneeling before, her right leg badly damaged.  
><em>"_You are our last hope, Alan Frost." She mouthed at him as, again, a flash of purple filled up the room. Alan couldn't tear his eyes away as the purple light shot a clean hole through Ashe's stomach area, the Queen of Rakkelstake falling forwards, the light of life fading from her eyes as she did, even as Alan watched. Alan screamed, unable to bear the pain of seeing so many people die all around him, almost going mad from confusion and frustration at not knowing what was happening._

_There was a familiar cry as he whipped himself around again, his eyes widening. "No…" He whispered as he watched Lissandra, standing along up ontop of the dais, where Ashe's throne once was, staring down a massive figure wrapped in shadows.  
><em>"_LISSANDRA!" Alan shouted as a large purple Eye seemed to appear out of no where within the shadowy' figure's visage. A second later, the purple light flashed again, blotting out the world with it's vibrance for a split second as Alan screamed, releasing more power than he needed to out of sheer panic, exploding forwards as he left a trail of ice. He caught her in mid air as she fell, landing onto the ground on his knees as he held her close. Her mask had shattered from the purple assault, exposing her beautiful face and sensitive ears as she looked up at him, pain evident on her face. Alan looked down and choked on a cry as he saw the large hole in her chest, allowing him to see his lap through her as she lied there.  
><em>"_Alan…" She whispered, almost a whimper unlike the strong Lissandra he knew as she extended a trembling hand towards him.  
><em>"_I'm so… sorry…" She whispered as Alan felt the tears flowing freely from his eyes, her cold, slender fingers touching his cheek, leaving trails of her blood on it._

"_All who oppose shall be dealt with…. Through disposal." A deep, resounding voice said as the massive figure's giant purple eye, fixed it's horrendous gaze upon Alan and began to glow and hum with power. Alan couldn't move, too shocked with all the events happening as he looked down at the dying Lissandra in his arms.  
><em>"_You must… make me… See… Alan… Only you can… please…. before it's too late…" She whispered as Alan let out a choked sob, slowly bringing her face close to his. Their lips met, a feeling of peace invading both of their minds seconds before there was a flash of purple, after which, there was nothing._

Alan's eyes opened brutally fast within the span of a second. He wasn't breathing as he stared up at the ceiling in absolute shock, his mind still frozen, unable to process anything of what had just happened.

After what felt like an eternity, he took a deep, long breath, before exhaling it. He sat up on his bed, numbly realizing the light outside meant it was morning. But he simply sat there, trying to think, trying to understand; What had just happened? What had he just seen? Was it just a dream? It seemed so real… Too acute… He could still feel the linger of Lissandra's touch on his cheeks, the feather-light feeling of her lips on his….

"Alan, what's wrong?"

Alan looked up, spotting Lydia standing at the entrance of his tent, holding a tray of what was evidently his breakfast. "You look like you've seen a ghost… Are you alright?" She asked as Alan stared blankly at her, looking haunted. "I'm… Fine… Have you seen Analia?" He asked as Lydia seemed unconvinced, but then she sighed in defeat. "She's in the training yard." Lydia stated as she walked in, placed the tray of food at his table and walked back to the entrance. Just before leaving, she stopped and turned around, "Alan, please… Don't hide anything. If you need help, just ask. Thats what I'm here for." She said, before turning around and leaving. Alan continued to stare at where she had walked out, not focusing on anything but the thoughts that mulled in his mind.

…

Analia watched as her opponent, a member of the Congelate, took a fighting stance infront of her, an uncommon but nonetheless effective stance. Feet slightly apart, left arm held extended slightly, at chest level, right arm held close, the fist exactly infront of the mouth. Analia glanced around her as well. The training court was basically just a large square clear area in the middle of various tents belonging to the soldiers. All around her, even though it was early morning, many Iceborn stood, watching her with interest. Many were even whispering and snickering to each other, no doubt passing bets. Reinhart himself stood prominently right at the edge of the field, watching her intently.

Analia sighed, relaxing her body before she took up her own, unique stance. leaning back on her right leg while her left leg stepped forward, both knees slightly bent. Her arms loosely held infront of her, left arm forwards and right hand close to her stomach, both hands completely relaxed, the hands open. She saw the small flicker of amusement in her opponent's eyes as she allowed herself to smirk.  
>"Whats your name?" She called to him as the man blinked at her acknowledgingly. "Graham." He answered.<br>"Well, Graham, how do you like your body in the morning? Sore or scrambled?" She replied as a small smile played upon Graham's face at her jest.

They slowly neared each other, Analia losing the humorous expression on her face as it became completely serious. As soon as they were within distance, Graham suddenly stepped forwards, launching a 3-hit combo at Analia. His left arm shot forwards as a jab, which Analia deflected with the open palm of both her hands. His right arm then shot forwards, aiming at her face in a vicious uppercut, which she barely dodged by leaning back. The arm stopped as it shot upwards, missing her, and then suddenly reversed as Grahams tried to elbow her raised face. She instantly raised her arms, crossing them above her head and catching his arm within the crook of her crossed arms, right above his elbow. She hissed in pain as her shoulders, already injured from the day before, throbbed in pain and shoved his arms off with a mechanical release of her crossed arms, throwing him off his stance as she suddenly launched a lightning quick one-two at his exposed mid-riff, hitting with her open palms rather than her fists. Graham grunted in pain as he quickly recovered, suddenly bringing both of his arms down, elbows first, as if he meant to trap her arm. Analia quickly withdrew her arm, however, as he tucked his elbows into his stomach. She recognized the maneuver a second too late as Graham's right foot shot up at her, slamming into her chest and sending her almost flying back into the snow. She landed heavily, coughing as her ribs burned from the pain, Graham staring impassively at her, waiting for her to get up. She got up into a crouch, wiping her mouth instinctively as she stood up shakily, her internal screaming-in-pain of her chest now joining the cacophony that was her shoulders and right leg.

She did not give up, however, as she stepped forward again. They began circling each other again, but this time, Analia made the first move. She feinted right, Graham falling for the feint and being unable to recover in time as Analia's fist slammed into his stomach from below instead. As he got winded from the blow, Analia instantly whipped around, her leg cutting through the air before slamming into Graham's face, spinning him off the ground as he spun in one complete circle in the air before falling down onto the ground on his knees before finally falling forwards, completely knocked out.

"Scrambled it is, then." Analia muttered under her breath as her right thigh gave a painful throb and gave way, forcing her down onto one knee as she winced in pain, clenching her teeth.

"Well… I'll admit, you've surprised me." Reinhart said as he offered her his hand. She looked at the hand then up at him. "Please, keep your hand to yourself, the places it goes." She said scathingly as she forced herself to stand up again, swaying slightly as she did. "And what is that supposed to mean?" Reinhart asked quietly as Analia glared at him, unrelenting, "Well, you always seem be such an asskisser. 'Lissandra this, Lissandra this.'" She mocked him, before snorting with derision. "You're nothing but her right hand, and you know what hands are used for." She said as Reinhart glared at her. "Right, hands are also used for slapping unarmed, injured woman, correct? I don't know which is dirtier, what I was thinking or that." She stated dryly as Reinhart's lips thinned.

Before their conversation could progress further, Alan stepped into the clearing. "Analia… A moment, please?" He asked as they both looked at him. "Oh, would you like to badger me with questions too? Perhaps also make a bet doubting my strength? Or maybe you'd like to just skip all that and just straight out kick me while I'm down?" She said sarcastically, throwing a venemous glance at Reinhart. "Ofcourse, I have seen some honor in you when you stopped your Psychotic Queen from torturing me, so I don't expect the last thing from you." She said, aiming the edge of her words more at Reinhart.

"It's a bit serious, if you will… Alone…" Alan stated as he walked over to them, both of them staring at his gaunt, haunted expression.  
>"Alan… Are you alright?" Reinhart asked skeptically. The images flashed in his mind again as he remembered seeing Reinhart and Analia's bodies lying side by side, their faces turned towards each other, holding each other's hands even after death. He couldn't think too deeply about it right now as he groaned, massaging his temples. "Yes, I'm doing… Well, I've been better, but nothing to worry about right now." He muttered as Reinhart nodded, walking away to give them some space.<p>

"So… What is this about?" Analia asked, not being sarcastic for once as Alan dug his hand into his pocket and extracted a locket. Analia's eyes widened as her mouth slowly opened. "How did you…"

"I went to speak with Ashe yesterday… She gave this to me to give to you. I imagine it holds value for you." Alan said as Analia took it gently into her hands, holding it as if it might shatter.

"Yes… It belonged to my mother… I had given it to Ashe for safe keeping before I rode out into battle, so that it might not be lost to looters should I have fallen…" Analia said, her face a mixture of wistful longing, sorrow and happiness. "I had never thought to see it again… Wait… Why did you go to Rakkelstake? No, rather, how?" She asked, confused as she looked at Alan.

"I walked there." He said with a small shrug as Analia looked at him skeptically. He sighed, shaking his head as he said, "Well, lets go back to your 'containment' tent… Because it's a long story." Alan muttered. "And you probably won't believe most of it."

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><p><strong>Such suspense, much teasers, 3HorrrificNightmare5Alan, can'thandletheheatyo.<strong>

**I gave a huge plot input into this chapter, so you guys should be satisfied for the next month or so xD**

**And remember, all my Kouhais; I am more Senpai than all your other Senpais. But only a few special Kouhais are allowed to call me Sebby-Senpai.**

**For everyone else, you know what to call me xD**

**Leave a review, k? srsly, leave a review, you. Yes you, there, staring at these words with that expression on your face. Stop dawdling and start writing something in the review box below. Don't know what to write? Here, i'll help you start: "Dear Wings Senpai, before I begin my review, I wish to let you know that you ignite passions within my soul I never knew existed."  
>Continue your review from there. xD<strong>

**Stay... Well, shit, I ran out of ice jokes. Guess you could say my brain froze up xD [HUEHUEHUEHUEHUEHUEHUEHUE]**

**kthnxbai.**

**-Wings Senpai.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Heyo guyso!**

**First off, a small shoutout to Nightrous1327 for his awesome review. You da real mvp bro xD no srsly, you don't know much your reviews mean to me especially because they provide so much insight. It's reviews like this that allow me to truly know what kind of story I'm writing that you, my readers, are understanding as and Allows me to plan out my next chapters alot better to meet your likings while also keeping to my own storyline.**

**Most of the time, I am winging it constantly. No preplanned plotline to follow, no grand scheme of things. I just open up a blank document, stare it for a couple of moments, browse youtube for a song to give me ideas, get an idea then write the next chapter around that idea while magically connecting it to the main plotline of the story!  
><strong>**What, did you think I'm called Wings Senpai for nothing? xD So yeah, thank you Nightrous-kouhai for your awesome review, and also another thank you to everyone else who was generous enough to spare a few seconds of their days to leave a review. It means alot to me guys/girls :3**

**Secondly, a shoutout to two awesome people that I happen to know on Facebook; Luciandra and Admin-Beard/Aaron ! These guys are just too awesome and I frequently like to make sarcastic and/or humorous conversation with these two (mainly on Luci's facebook page)! They're just cool people and it really brightens up my day with a good laugh whenever we three interact. Luciandra is also an amazing artist who's given yours truly some greatly valued art tips! You can find her on her page at Facebook slash drawlucia! Give her some love from me, people. :3 And you might even be lucky enough to spot me as a regular commenter there.**

**I'm sorry for delaying you, dear readers, but I'm almost done. Two last things!  
><strong>**I've done the shout out before but I'll do it again; The story Piltover Radio Station by the talented writer Alsodef! It features a bunch of cameo's by different characters and OCs of different famous writers on the League area of fanfiction. I myself will be adding my unworthy self amongst their ranks soon, so be sure to watch out for my chapter~**

**And finally, a shout out to two of my currently favourite stories on the League of Legends Fanfiction area; "I will Defy" by Rook837 and "Follow the Wind" by Tahimikamaxtli [This name was a killer to spell xD]. These are, in my honest opinion, by far, the best effin' league fanfiction out there right now. I mean, like, seriously these stories are atleast a hundred times better than the rainbow-colored, sugar-coated crap that I spew out. These two stories are TRUE works of arts. If you haven't read them, go and read them right now. Trust me, you won't regret it at all.**

**Song Suggestion: **

Mitsunori Ikeda - Fallen Angel (feat. Aimee B) (El Poco Maro Remix)

**Finally, the story. Enjoy. :3**

**- Wings Senpai.**

* * *

><p><span><strong>In her Icy Embrace<strong>

**Chapter 10**

Analia was silent for a long time, simply staring down at the floor, her fist held against her mouth as she thought. Alan stared impassively at her as Analia absorbed the information, clutching the necklace within her fist so hard, Alan was afraid she might break it. Finally, Analia straightened up a bit in her posture and looked at Alan. Alan had told her everything that he had seen, about the weird vision he saw when he touched Frig Dinte and about the painful dream he had, but he left out a variety of the details. He was vague about seeing everyone's death there, only stating that he saw them die. He didn't say how painfully Ashe died. Nor did he tell her how she and Reinhart had died side by side, fighting for each other until the very end. He did not tell her the details of how Sejuani had almost been blown in half nor how Lissandra had died in his arms. He especially did not mention his final moments with Lissandra before the purple light took everything out of sight.

"Has anything like this ever happened to you?" Alan asked Analia as she frowned. "No… Nothing like that has ever happened to me… Although…" Analia seemed deep in thought. "Now that I think about it… I have seen… purple flashes in my dreams… After I began wielding Frig Dinte. Nothing as large nor detailed as yours, but purple recurring flashes all the same." Analia answered as Jason made a small humming noise of thought. He perked up as he then said, "Maybe something will happen if you touch Frig Ascutis." He said, quickly unlatching Frig Ascustis from the belt at his side and holding it out to her. Analia looked at it skeptically then back at Alan. "I'm not going to like this, am I?" Analia muttered as Alan, although looking worse for wear, managed a small smile. "There's a bucket nearby, atleast." He said as Analia sighed. "Avarosa, ghid mine.*" She murmured as as she reached forward and grabbed the handle.

("Avarosa, ghid mine" = Romanian for "Avarosa, guide me.")

Analia suddenly convulsed as her grip tightened on Frig Ascutis for a second. Alan also suddenly experienced a horrid, rush of images, flying too fast through his mind for him to make sense of them. But among the images, he did register multiple flashes of purple.

Something shoved him, or maybe he simply stumbled, as Alan fell back onto the floor on his bottom, blinking away the blurriness in his vision as he saw Analia bury her head into the bucket, retching sounds echoing from the bucket. Alan sat like that for a few hours until Analia was done, slowly placing the bucket off to the side as she panted, looking worse for wear.

"What did you see?" Alan asked as Analia looked at him with a lost look on her face. "I… Leave… please…" Analia said as Alan nodded, understanding what she was going through. Taking Frig Ascutis and mounting it on his waist again, he decided it was time to pay Lissandra a visit.

Leaving Analia's tent, nodding to the guards posted outside in greeting as he did so, he trekked across the snow. Most of the tents had already been set up and Lissandra's huge army now resembled a small settlement comprised of hundreds of tents.

It took him a good few minutes to reach Lissandra's tent, which was much larger than all the other tents. A member of the Congelate was posted outside. "Let me pass." Alan said as the Congelate looked down at him through the helmet. "I'm sorry, champion, but Lady Lissandra has forbidden any unproclaimed entrances. Please, one moment."

The man then turned around towards the closed tent entrance and said, in a loud voice, "Queen Lissandra, Alan Frost, your Champion, requests entry."

"Let him in." A voice rang out from within as the Congelate nodded, turning back around to face Alan and stepping aside to let him step through.

As Alan parted the many curtains that made up the entrance of the tent and stepped inside, he saw that Lissandra had probably just woken up. She wore an emerald colored robe, loose fitting and comfortable, obviously meant for sleep. This also meant that her face and hair was left unhidden. She seemed to have been writing in a small book, closing it and looking up at Alan as he entered. Her ears gave a small twitch as she frowned. "Alan, is something wrong? You look sick."

Alan honestly couldn't care less about her appearance right now, but he had to admit that she looked quite beautiful without her mask to hide her face or ears. "Lissandra… I have… somethings to tell you."

"Yes, I assumed as much." Lissandra said quietly, trying to keep a straight face although Alan could see her composure shaking and cracking visibly on her face; she was obviously very nervous from having her ears and face exposed. "Look, if you're more comfortable wearing something to hi-"

"No no, I'm fine. Just tell me what you want to say." Lissandra cut him off as Alan sighed.

"Alright…" He said as he sat down in front of Lissandra on the chair across the small table. Lissandra gestured to a tray holding a teapot and a few tea cups as she raised an eyebrow. Alan nodded. As Lissandra began pouring both of them a cup of iced tea, Alan leaned forward, fixing his eyes upon Lissandra.

"Tell me about the watchers."

Lissandra's hand shook for a moment, causing a bit of tea to spill as she recovered quickly, pouring the rest of the tea in silence. She handed him the clean teacup while she wiped her one, the one she had spilled some tea over, with a tissue. "Why would you ask about that?" Lissandra asked with an air of non-chalance.

"Lissandra… Lets settle something here and now. No more lies, no more beating about the bush." Alan said firmly as Lissandra looked up at him, taken slightly aback as she did so. He had a strong, firm look within his gaze, similar to the fire that had always burned within him. But it seemed to be muted. Glazed. His face looked pale and gaunter than usual, a haunted look. She hadn't realized she had stopped breathing until she exhaled.

"So be it… What do you wish to know." Lissandra said as Alan slowly brought up his cup of tea to his mouth. "Everything." He quietly said before he took a silent sip of the iced beverage.

"Long ago, there lived three sisters. Avarosa, Serlyda and… myself. The three sisters ruled over Freljord, united. But then, a new entity entered their domain. An entity who was not from this world, holding immense power. With the entity, came multiple others, each of them holding godly power. We called these beings… the Frozen Watchers. They offered us many things… Immortality. Power. Wisdom of the ages. In return, they simply asked for our co-operation and to allow them to live side by side on our lands. For a time, it was so. Until Avarosa grew spoiled, wanting more than all she already had. Serylda, always the biased one, supported Avarosa with her selfish desires while I stayed faithful to the true Gods.

There was a war… A brutal, unforgiving war, between the armies of Avarosa and Serlyda, against my own and the strength of the watchers… The leader of the watchers was perhaps the wisest and most powerful of them all… He was known as Vel'Koz."

A spark of electricity seemed to run through Alan's spin, making him shudder slightly at the mention of that name, giving him goosebumps. He clutched his tea-cup tighter, though Lissandra did not notice.

"Vel'koz was a terribly powerful being… He was greatly saddened by Avarosa and Serylda's betrayal, but he knew that the weeds must be cut away from the tree so that it may flourish. Avarosa and Serlyda was no match for the might of Vel'koz. Like the god he was, he burned hundreds of men into ashes with a simple gaze from his omniscient eyes. And then… Rose the White Phantom."

"The White Phantom?" Alan asked, his brows furrowing slightly as Lissandra nodded.

"Yes… Not much is known about the White Phantom. He came to aid Lissandra and Serlyda as the two sisters were losing the war, and with him, he brought a weapon. A sword that seemed to draw magic from Freljord itself, which granted him unimaginable power. He rose the weapon against the Frozen Watchers and, with the help of Avarosa and Serylda, managed to destroy the legacy of the Frozen Watchers."

"But they did not die, did they?" Alan asked, more of a statement rather than a question. Lissandra shook her head.

"Vel'koz was far too powerful to be killed. Before Vel'koz could be smited by the White Phantom, he unleashed a beam of energy so powerful, it forever changed the air around Freljord, causing the phenomenon known as the Aurorae we see today. The beam outshone everything with it's purple radiance and as soon as it's light burned down, the White Phantom was no where to be seen, his grand weapon shattered into three pieces. Vel'koz himself, having used all his power, fell into the great valley known as the Howling Abyss. My sisters, wishing to further add humiliation to my defeat, spared my life. Avarosa took the throne, which was rightfully mine, and banished me from her kingdom. I wandered for a long time until I found the people of the Watchers. The Iceborn. The ones who still remained. And thus, I nurtured the Iceborn… I helped them grow… I led them. And soon, we became a powerful force once again within Freljord. The weapon that the White Phantom had used, which had been broken into three parts… Each of us kept a shard of that weapon."

"Wait… So… You mean…"

"Yes, Alan. That weapon you wield, Frig Ascutis, is one of the shards of that weapon. The energy used to destroy it has destabilized it's magical powers, causing the corruption that slowly spreads through your veins now."

Alan paused to take all of this information in, as they both quietly sipped at their tea. Finally, Alan said, "So you follow the Frozen Watchers?"

"The watcher's don't exist anymore, Alan. I only want what is rightfully mine." Lissandra said as Alan thought about what he had seen… Perhaps… Was it a premonition of what was to come?

_"You must… make me… See… Alan… Only you can… please…. before it's too late…"_

Lissandra's voice, barely a whisper due to her rapidly approaching death, echoed in his mind as the image of her dying on his lap flashed in his mind.

"Alan, is something wrong?" Lissandra asked, frowning again as Alan suddenly paled again. "You're starting to… worry me."

"Lissandra, I thought I told you not to lie to me." Alan said quietly as he fixed his light blue gaze on her.

"I didn't." She said firmly.  
>"DON'T LIE." Alan suddenly shouted, shooting up to his feet. Lissandra was at a loss for words, staring up at Alan with eyes widened in surprise, her mouth slightly agape. "Do not. Lie. To my face." Alan seethed through his gritted teeth.<p>

"Alan… Are you alright?" Lissandra asked as Alan leaned forwards, placing both of his hands upon the desk as he did so. Lissandra instinctively leaned slightly back; she'd never seen Alan this way before.

"I know about the Watchers. I know about what they're planning." Alan said as Lissandra's eyes widened, the truth flickering behind her eyes for a split second, but Alan saw it.

"W-Wha-"

"I know they're planning something… And I know you're in on it."

Alan had only a second to react before a shard of ice suddenly shot itself at him. He instantly dived to the side, the shard barely scratching his cheek and slicing some strands of his white hair off as he quickly got back up, drawing Frig Ascutis. Lissandra was standing up, her face a cold mask of indifference as she glared at him. "Well then… It looks like your usefulness is at an end, Alan." She said as Alan registered the sudden hum of power around her a split second before she raised her hand at him, "KNEEL!"

A vicious pillar of dark ice exploded all around Alan, encasing him completely within it's confines. But that split second of foreshadowing allowed Alan to prepare himself for it. As soon as he had been encased, Frig Ascutis glowed with power. A few seconds passed and then, the black ice around him suddenly disintegrated into light blue flecks of mana, being absorbed into Frig Ascutis as it's deadly blade of dark ice formed.

"What!?" Lissandra stated in amazement, shocked to find one of her finishing moves having been defeated so easily.

"Is this what the situation has come to? You killing me for these entities that want to destroy the world!?" Alan said angrily as Lissandra whipped her hand at him, firing another volley of ice shards, which Alan slashed out of the air, shattering them midflight.

"You know nothing, Alan Frost." Lissandra said distastefully, her face an unfathomable mask as she raised her arm, causing spikes of ice to shoot out of the ground underneat, tearing through the carpet of the tent. Alan, however, had already moved out of the way, jumping over the desk and tackling Lissandra with his full body weight behind it. They both stumbled back, tearing through the tent wall at the back of Lissandra's tent. Since Lissandra's tent was on the farthest end of the whole settlement, they had come out into an open landscape of snow, no other tent in sight aside from Lissandra's tent, which also acted as a wall to hide them from the sight of the other tents in that direction.

As they tumbled on the snow, Alan landed on top of Lissandra, his face stopping inches from hers. "You need to listen to me, Lissandra!" He shouted as Lissandra kicked him off of her. "I need to listen to no one! I AM QUEEN!" She shouted back, standing back up against as Alan stood back up again, raising his sword at her.

"Lissandra… I saw what will happen if you continue on this path. I cannot let that happen to you." He said as Lissandra narrowed her eyes at him angrily, a gesture of her hand causing a cone of ice spikes to shoot out of the ground. Alan rolled to the side to dodge it and dashed in, slamming the side of his sword onto the wall of dark ice that Lissandra formed just in time to stop him, bringing them very close again.

"I saw everything, Lissandra. You need to open your eyes to this deception. The watchers are using you! They'll bring ruin upon Freljord!"  
>"THEY ARE NOT USING ME, I AM USING YOU FOR THEM." Lissandra shouted back at him as she punched the ice wall inbetween them. The area she punched glowed for a moment before a thorn of ice suddenly shot out from the exact opposite of the wall, impaling Alan through the right side of his chest.<p>

"Hrkk…" Alan clenched his teeth at the pain, using his left hand to hold himself up as he gripped at the wall, looking down at the thorn sticking out of his chest, blood already coming out. Lissandra's eyes were wide, her breathing fierce as she looked at him, surprise slowly becoming evident behind the anger as she realized what she had done.

"I saw… him… Vel'koz… Killing everyone. Killing you." Alan said through the pain as he looked up at Lissandra, who seemed to be frozen by the turn of events. "I won't let that happen, Liss… I won't let him kill you… You need to… open your eyes… and see the truth… Even if it means… you do so by… killing me…" He had to pause now to gasp and then cough violently, blood erupting out of his mouth. The thorn had obviously punctured through his lung.

The cough brought Lissandra to her senses as her eyes widened further. "A-Alan!?" She exclaimed as she stepped back from the wall, causing the dark ice to disintegrate into snow, leaving Alan with a gaping wound in his chest. With nothing to hold onto anymore, Alan fell to his knees, almost falling backwards but Lissandra managed to throw herself onto her own knees to manage to catch him before he fell.

"Alan! No, I… I don't know what came over me, Alan please, hang on!" Lissandra shouted as Alan took ragged breaths.

"You need to… See… the truth, Lissandra…" Alan muttered as Lissandra screamed for help, calling Jory, Reinhart and Lydia, anyone who'll listen. Her face, eyes tearing up as she looked down at him with regret and remorse, was the last thing Alan saw before everything blurred away into a multitude of hazy colors. The colors then brightened until, finally, everything turned white.

…

Reinhart, who was too far away to hear Lissandra's shouts, walked into Analia's tent for their routine conversation, prepared to deal with her impossible personality. What he did not expect, however, was to find Analia stark naked aside from a towel she was currently using to dry her long golden hair. She seemed to have just exited the bathtub she had been provided at the corner of the tent, hidden from plain view with some cleverly placed screens so she could have privacy while she bathed or took care of other business.

Reinhart froze, at a loss for words as Analia froze as well, looking at him in shock. It lasted a second which seemed to stretch an eternity, during which Reinhart couldn't help but notice beautiful she was. Her porcelain skin, a light peach color, was criss-crossed and decorated with a myriad of scars in the form of white lines, making her look more exotic than damaged, the water droplets on her skin making her look like she was shimmering like some goddess. She had womanly curves in all the right places and a killer pair of legs, which seemed downright slim and delicate. It was impossible to tell that she had such a beautiful form under all that armor she wore as well as under her loose clothing, and it was quite surprising that, even with her great strength, her body maintained a smooth tone to it instead of being overly-muscular. But the only odd thing about her… Was a spidery blue tattoo on the left side of her chest, right under her breast, covering most of her left side and midriff with thin, sharp lines in a tribal, razor-sleek design.

Too many details flooded in to Reinhart's mind in that tiny span of time before Analia suddenly screamed and covered herself with the towel.

"ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR BLOODY FUCKIN' MIND, DON'T YOU KNOW HOW TO KNOCK!?" She screamed as Reinhart turned around, his face burning although his expression was a forced mask of non-chalance. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't k- this is a tent, there's no doors to kn-"

"GET OUT! GET OUT NOW!" Analia screeched as Reinhart swiftly exitted the tent, the flaps of the tent falling back into place to hide Analia from view again.

The guards outside looked at him in surprise and fear as Reinhart turned to face them.

"Did she tell you she was going to take a bath?" Reinhart asked.

"Yes sir, she told us not to let anyone come in." One of the guards said.

"And why did you not warn me?" Reinhart asked quietly as the guard blanched. "Er.. Well… Sir, its you, sir… I didn't think… it applied to you.. sir…"

"Bring your swords out, guardsmen." Reinhart said in a deadly, quiet voice. The two guards were confused and hesitant. "I won't repeat myself." He said as the guards quickly complied, bringing out their short swords.

"Hold them up in the air, straight. You will continue to hold this posture for the next two shifts. The ones who were meant to replace you get their shifts off." Reinhart said as the guards quickly obeyed, holding their swords up in the air and staying silent.

Reinhart stood outside the tent for a long time until finally a voice called out, "You're still here, aren't you?"

"Good guess." Reinhart replied back at the tent flaps.

There was silence for a few moments and then, "Bloody hell, come in… Not like there's anything left for you to see."

Reinhart stepped in, ready to close his eyes again although he was relieved to see her wearing a loose white shirt and black pants, along with a small bit of disappointment. Analia looked pissed, her eyes set and her arms crossed as she stared at him flatly, her long golden tresses still slightly damp.

"I, er…. Apologize. I did not mean to barge in like that and intrude upon your privacy." Reinhart said knightly as Analia sighed, shaking his head. "No… it's not your fault. Those guardsmen did not warn you as I told them to. I should be apologizing for my outburst." Analia said.

"Well well well." Reinhart suddenly said with a small smirk on his lips. "The woman actually has a sense of politeness."  
>"Gasp?" Analia said sarcastically, making a large 'O' of surprise with her mouth. "The perverted woman-slapping ass-licking Ser Knight actually complimented the dirty, filthy prisoner? Alert the cities, we must celebrate!" She remarked as Reinhart sighed. "I don't know what I expected." He muttered.<p>

Analia sat down on her bed, crossing her legs as she scooted further back. "Well then, Ser Knight, what grand itch is plaguing you that caused you to barge into my prison cell?" She asked, never lacking the sarcasm.

"My name is not Ser Knight. It's Reinhart. And you have a tent for yourself, better equipped than most because of your status as a champion, so do not dirty it by calling it a prison cell."

"Oh, I'm sorry. The whole 'confined to your tent unless required otherwise' thing, with the guards posted outside all day and all night and with you coming in at odd times to grill me for answers had me confused. If this is a luxury tent, I feel bad for the sorry saps who get stuck in your actual prison." Analia said as Reinhart shrugged. "I feel bad for them too. Freezing to death is a sad way to go." He smirked a bit as he saw that Analia was put off by his answer, not expecting him to say that.

"Anyway… First I would like to ask you about your health." Reinhart said as Analia rolled her eyes. "Oh I'm completely fine. I just got tortured by your Ice Bitch queen yesterday and fought a man twice as heavy today morning with the wounds from yesterday. Yup, I'm completely dandy."

"What is that mark on your chest?" Reinhart asked, cutting her off.  
>"Excuse me!?" Analia said in outrage.<br>"That mark on your left chest, blue in color. It looks similar to the markings on Alan's arms, which he didn't have when I first saw him." He said as Analia realized what he was talking about and then she slumped a bit. "Oh… That's the corruption."

"The corruption?" Reinhart asked skeptically.

Analia nodded. "It's the price we pay for using such powerful artifacts of the old. Frig Ascutis and Frig Dinte… They both cause this. Soon, it will overtake our body and we will perish, as so many has before us." She said as she looked down at the floor in morbid thought.

"Alan's ones started from his hands… My one started from my heart." Analia said quietly, one of her hands unconsciously reaching up and clutching at the necklace around her neck. Reinhart noticed it and recalled that she didn't have it before.

"That necklace…"  
>"My mother's. Ashe gave it to Alan, he gave it to me." Analia said quietly, obviously not keen on the topic as Reinhart relented. He sensed there was much more to this woman than the strong, sarcastic exterior she put up.<p>

"Okay… The corruption… Do you know why it started in different places for you?" Reinhart asked as Analia shook her head. "Well… Does it feel any different? Affect you?

"Aside from the vivid nightmares and the feeling of numbness inside? No." Analia said with a small chuckle. The mood had shifted quite unexpectedly to a sombre setting as they both sat in silence.

"Why do you fight, Analia?" Reinhart asked as Analia looked up at him. "Why do I fight?" She asked as Reinhart nodded. "I don't know… It makes me feel alive, I guess. It's the only thing I can do." She said as she looked down again, some remorse etched on her face. "But its not something I always knew how to do, especially when I needed it the most…" She said quietly as the silence stretched in between them again.

"I had a sister once." Reinhart said as Analia looked up at him without raising her face, looking at him through some strands of her golden hair. "She was a beautiful little thing… Aurora, her name was. Years ago, I was only a man, not the knight you now see before you. Back then, I lived in a village with my family. Aurora was only a little girl then…"

"Then, the raiders struck us. She was playing outside when it happened. No matter how fast I ran, I couldn't stop them from slitting her throat open." Reinhart said quietly as Analia watched him with bated breath.

"I was no fighter. I had no idea how to fight, but I had grabbed my father's old sword as I ran out and I used that to fight the damned bastard who killed my sister. It was a bad move on my part. That was the day I got this ugly thing as well." Reinhart said, pointing up at the diagonal scar across his face, a line of white across his otherwise pale blue ice born skin, a small smirk tugging at his lips as he recalled Analia's vicious comment about it before.

"But he got cocky, while I was fueled with the desire for vengeance. I took the first opportunity presented to me and killed him. Thrust my sword so deep into his chest, it came out of his back, but I still kept pressing it into him, crushing his chest even more as I did so, as if that would bring my sister back or cause him more pain, for he was already dead. And then the other raiders, who had already gone through the rest of the town, came. They weren't too happy about me killing one of their buddies, while I stood there, weak and injured from the fight, half blinded with the blood all over my face and the cut over my eye. That is when Lissandra showed up. Back then, she did not have as large and army as she did now. She travelled with only a small group, leaving the rest at her castle domain."

"She was, however, very powerful even then. Her cryomancy ended the lives of the raiders around me quickly. She then expressed her condolences for my lost village… For my lost sister, and went on to say that I had potential. I had no where else to go, now that my village had been plundered, most of the villagers killed. So I went with Lissandra." Reinhart said, pausing. Silence was prominent in the room as Analia listened to his tale with utmost concentration.  
>"Suffice to say… Thats why I fight. For my sister, who I couldn't fight hard enough to save then. Now, I fight as hard as I can, so I can prevent someone else from losing a loved one like I lost mine… And I have this horrendous scar to remind myself of it constantly." Reinhart said. He froze up, however as Analia's slender fingers gently brushed away some of his hair to better look at his face. "It's not horrendous or ugly. I have my own share of scars. Its a symbol of pride that you survived through it." Analia said quietly, her fingertips gently nearing his face, the lightest of touch on his scar.<p>

Both of them hissed in pain as Analia quickly drew her hand back like she was burned, while Reinhart recoiled back, a stinging burning sensation in the area where she touched him. The pain, however, faded quickly as both of them looked at each other.

"Right… Iceborn skin burns… I'm sorry, I forgot." Analia said as Reinhart blinked.

"Wait, Alan can touch Iceborns without suffering any burns." He said as Analia shrugged. "I don't know… I can only do so when I'm in the heat of battle. Otherwise, the cold affects me just as much as it affects any other Avarosan." She replied.

They stayed quiet for a long time after that, mulling over the event that had just happened and the sudden unexpected conversation they just had.  
>"Thank you." Analia said, finally breaking the comfortable silence. "For telling me all of this."<p>

"Stories are made because they should be told. Everyone has their own stories." Reinhart said, before a small smirk came onto his lips. "And I'm sure this will be a grand story to tell people; how the snarky Analia Grace is actually a mushy, heartsy, feelsy little girl underneath her thorny exterior."

"Oh bugger off." Analia retorted as a moment of silence passed before both of them broke into an easy, shared laughter.

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><p><strong>Lots of things going on simultaneously in this chapter, lots of suspense and character development as well!<strong>

**But, as you know me, I'm notorious for leaving you readers with a cliff hanger for the next month or so; ITS MY WAY OF PUNISHING THE MAJORITY WHO DON'T REVIEW D:**

**Jk jk, I keed. I love you all :3 But yeah, Cliff Hanger. 1 Month. Have fun with your stomachs squirming as you wait to see when it comes out xD**

**Stay in Chille, guys~ [lel chilly pun geddit geddit... okay i'll show myself out now.]**

**Kthnxbai guis**

- **Wings Senpai**


	11. Chapter 11

**You guys should all love me; it's 3:39 am as I write this and probably my 65th hour of No sleep. For those of you who do not know, I have full-blown self-induced insomnia and I never sleep unless I either A) Pass out, B) Drink myself out or C) Take Medication to pass out. And while in my sleep deprived state, I work hard for you guys, my readers.**

**As many of you have wanted, I have drawn a full body artwork of Alan Frost! YAY! Mind you, it's not the greatest of my art and there are a lot of flaws in it, but it should give you an idea of how he looks in his armor. Find it at my DeviantArt; /art/Alan-Frost-Full-Body-484101451**

**Just add that next to my deviant art URL, which is basically WingsofRequiem dot deviantart dot com .**

**Anyway, chapter 11 of IHIE.**

**DOOT DOOT.**

**Lets go Kouhais!**

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><p><strong>WARNING: If you guys already haven't noticed, I'm already going a bit AU on this story, mainly about the lore and shit. But this is the point where I'll be really going AU because i'm basically completely changing up a character. But, I'll try to keep the epicness of the character and I hope you guys can bear with me. It is extremely difficult to write a good story when I'm restricted by pre-existing walls and limits in the form of Lore. Remember, if you stick too much to the lore, you can't write a story. You'll just be writing the lore itself in another way.<strong>

**Thanks you for understanding and I hope you all continue to enjoy my story. I can guarantee I have alot of plans in mind.**

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><p><strong>Special thanks to Nightrous1327 for being an absolute genius and a better story-writer than I could ever be.<strong>

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><p><span><strong>In her Icy Embrace<strong>

**Chapter 11**

'_Where… Where am I?'_

As Alan's eyes opened, he found himself standing in the midst of a snowy barren wasteland, with nothing but flat snow for miles all around him. The sky was cloudy and dark, with an unnatural purplish coloration as snow slowly fell all around him. There was no wind at all and the very silence of the place seemed to speak louder than if it were to be noisy. "Hello?" He called, his voice echoing strangely as he looked around. He looked down at himself and saw that he was in his personalized Champion Armor. Frig Ascutis rested on his waist, and he felt reassured and calmed by it's familiar presence.

"Hello?" He called out again. "Is anyone there?" Nothing answered him other than his hollow echoes for a few moments. And then, a voice, behind him;

"Alan Frost."

Alan turned around and was taken aback by the appearance of the man who had addressed him. He was a tall man, just as tall as Reinhart. He had medium length black hair falling down halfway down his neck, dancing to the side as if there was wind, even though there was none. His skin was a weird bluish-purple coloration and he was mostly shirtless, aside from numerous black belts tied around his midriff, providing little to hide the muscular structure underneath. He wore a very large, very heavy looking battle-skirt that reached down to mid-shin level, adorned with large metal plates and spikes at the hem. Metal boots, presumably knee-high, was visible as well as the battle-skirt ended. His top half was the most surprising, however. He wore a scarf with a large metallic part that covered the lower half of his face as well as most of his shoulders, while the scarf reached past the collar bones and ended at the point where the sternum began in the front. It was wrapped around numerous times and the remainder of the scarf fluttered to the side behind him like a loose tail, towards the same direction his hair was swaying to, even though there was no wind. It produced no sound either. His left shoulder had a very large guard on it, which could act as a shield for his face if he wanted to use it as such. numerous belts also wrapped themselves around the bare length of his blue left arm, while a black fingerless glove adorned his hand. His right shoulder had a smaller, standard yet still heavy shoulder guard on it. Yet, from that point on, his entire right arm was encased in metal armor, with a very unusual gauntlet design as if there had been a large armblade that protruded out of the gauntlet once, yet now there was nothing. His right hand was the only part not covered in metal, yet had the same black fingerless glove his left hand had. 4 tubes connected themselves from his shoulderguards to his face, disappearing under the metallic segment of his purple scarf. His eyes glowed with a white with purplish tones, no pupils or irises visible.

"Who are you?" Alan asked, feeling uneasy in his sinister presence.

"I am known as Kassadin." The man, Kassadin, replied. "If you have questions, I have the answers." He said.

Like himself, Kassadin's voice was also echoing in the silence.

"Where am I?" Alan asked.

"You are in the Void." Kassadin said, his eyes flat and unfathomable. "Or, more specifically, the space inbetween the Void and the Realm of the Living, known as the Fade."

"How did I get here?" Alan asked, looking around himself self consciously so nothing sneaked up on him. So far, it was just as he had seen it minutes ago; empty and barren aside from him and Kassadin.

"I have been calling you for some time, Alan Frost, trying to contact you. Yet, you were too grounded in the Realm to be able to step into the Fade. Something was interfering with our communication. Until now. You must have gone through something that disconnected your conscience enough to allow me to be able to pull you here." Kassadin said.

"Yeah… I think I died." Alan said as Kassadin shook his head. "No, you are still alive Alan Frost. You are simply grievously injured." He said as Alan sighed, "Like that's any better." He muttered under his breath, lowering his head and shaking his head before looking back up at Kassadin. "Okay, Kassadin, I'm here. Why have you called me here?"

"Your dreams, Alan Frost. Do you know the meaning behind them?" Kassadin asked as Alan looked at him with wide eyes. "How did y-"

"I know many things, Alan Frost. You, however, know nothing." He said.

"Well… I know that Vel'koz is coming back. I know he leads the watchers and that he is controlling Lissandra as well as the Iceborn. And there will be a war soon that'll lead to everyone's death." Alan said as he stared down in thought. "Unless I do something." He finished.

"And you know the flaw, do you not?" Kassadin asked.

"Yes. I don't know what I'm supposed to do." Alan replied.

"That is why I am here, Alan Frost." Kassadin said. "Let me begin from the beginning itself."

"I know most of it. Lissandra told me." Alan said. "She told you most of what happened, but only from her angle. In truth, Lissandra was nothing but a jealous and power hungry woman. When the three sisters were younger, Avarosa showed proficiency in both cryomancy and leadership while Serylda showed unmatched battlefield prowess in both tactical sense and strength. Lissandra was somehow the runt of the litter and she always envied the other two siblings. That is where the watchers came into play. Mysterious beings they were, they persuaded Lissandra, offering their corrupt gifts of power and immortality to her. She took them happily, unknowing of the price she was paying."

"She returned to her siblings, powerful beyond measure as she asked them to join the watchers like her. Jealous she was, Lissandra still cared about her siblings to an extent and wished them to be as powerful as her, though she would make sure they would never again exceed her in anything. Serylda and Avarosa, however, did not take to their sister kindly. Serylda was outright aggressive, calling Lissandra things like traitor and being a servant to the watchers while Avarosa simply tried to make Lissandra see reason. Lissandra would not have it, however, for when she was given this power, she had also become a puppet to the watchers, namely their leader."

"Vel'koz." Alan said as Kassadin nodded.

"Vel'koz manipulated her, not in the way someone might control a puppet, no. He was smart, brilliantly so. He made the most subtle of changes to her conscience, controlling her without her even realising it, making it look like all her ideas were hers alone. And it was, mostly. It is like a row of dominos. They were already there and falling eternally down one line amongst many; Vel'koz simply changed the direction of one every now and then so it led to another path."

"And so began the great war between the forces of Avarosa and Serylda against the might of the Frozen Watchers and their followers, including Lissandra. The fight was long and brutal, but then came the decisive wild card."

"The White Phantom." Alan said as Kassadin nodded again.

"He wielded a weapon that defied logic itself, an impossibility in its possibility. Vel'koz, an entity who's existence revolved around logic itself, who knew the strengths and weaknesses of everything, could not fathom the existence of such a weapon. And so, the battle between the White Phantom and Vel'koz began and at the end of the battle, Vel'koz simply couldn't bear the existence of such an object."

"So, knowing full well the consequences of his actions, Vel'koz unleashed a beam of energy much stronger than anything he had ever released. The weapon was used to protect the White Phantom from being obliterated, and the two powers clashed, blinding the world with purple radiance. But the raw power of Vel'koz's beam opened a rift into the alternate dimension known as the Void. The White Phantom fell into this void, his weapon breaking into three separate fragments. But, Vel'koz had signed his own warrant as he fell into the same void as well, trapping both himself and the White Phantom in the realm of chaos."

"Wait a minute… Vel'koz fell into the Howling Abyss!" Alan said as Kassadin stared at him flatly. Alan's stomach suddenly fell as realization hit him "Oh… Oh no… The Howling Abyss."

"Yes, Alan Frost. The Howling Abyss itself is the rift to the void. It is there that the White Phantom fell along with the Frozen Watcher."

"And you're the White Phantom." Alan said with an even more sudden realization as he stared up at Kassadin, who remained silent. "You yourself said that the entire world was blinded by the purple radiance that Vel'koz's beam unleashed. Even Lissandra said that the White Phantom simply vanished, yet you were able to tell me exactly what happened to him, which is only possible if you were the White Phantom himself."

"It seems you have intelligence you do not show often, Alan Frost." Kassadin commended. "Yes, I was the White Phantom. I was the one who wielded the great weapon against Vel'koz and the one who fell along with him into the Void."

"How are you alive?" Alan asked.

"I am not… sure." Kassadin admitted, in that same monotone tone of his. "I do not think I can be called alive, but I'm not completely dead either. I have been corrupted by the Void and turned into one of it's own… The Void changed my body, but it could not take my mind." Kassadin said as he raised his eyes to Alan.

"Now comes your turn, Alan Frost. You must find all three Weapons of Cold, and join them to form the ultimate weapon. If you do not do so in time, Vel'koz will rise with none to oppose him, and your 'vision' shall become a reality." Kassadin said. Everything seemed to be getting hazier as Alan looked around in surprise. "What's happening?" He asked, his voice suddenly seeming distant.

"You seem to be waking up. Remember my words, Alan Frost. And remember this, only you can make us see the truth. Not everyone is in the watcher's grasp." Kassadin said, his voice seeming to be spoken from very far away as everything became blurry. "Save them, Alan Frost. Save us all."

"But why me!?" Alan called back, frustrated. "Why must I be the one to do all of this!?"

"Because you are fated to do so." Kassadin's voice was naught but an echo now as Alan felt himself tumbling through darkness.

…

Alan inhaled suddenly and deeply, like it was the first breath he ever took after being deprived of air for a long time. Then, he slowly exhaled, relaxing his body as Jory sighed in relief, being helped to his chair by Lydia as he slung an arm around her shoulders. Collapsing onto the chair, he turned his weary face towards Lissandra, who was wearing her usual blue robes and mask again, and said, "I've healed the worst of his injuries and stabilized his punctured lung. He should be fine now." Jory said as Lydia wordlessly handed him a glass of water. "I'm getting too old for this." He muttered distastefully as he drank the water, while Lydia watched on silently.

"So, he will be okay?" Lissandra asked as Jory fixed a flat stare at her. "Yes, My lady. That is just what I said." He replied.

"When will he wake up?" Lissandra asked as Jory shrugged. "After a wound like that? Most people would be out for a very good time. But, considering the fact that Alan is one of the most stubborn men I've seen, he should be waking up any moment now." Jory said and, as if his words were the magic words to awaken him, Alan groaned and shifted in the bed uncomfortably as he slowly opened his eyes.

"Alan!" Lissandra said in surprise, standing up from her seat as she looked at him slowly waking up. She then turned towards Jory and Lydia and said, "Leave us."

As Jory and Lydia took up their kits and walked out, Lissandra pulled up her chair next to his bed and sat down beside him. "Alan, I'm here, wake up."

"I really need… to stop waking up like this." Alan muttered, groaning as he tried to push himself up to a sitting position. Lissandra reached out as if she wanted to stop him, but she remembered that she was the reason for this and withdrew her hand slowly. He noticed her and gave her a small, weak smile. "What's wrong?"

"YOU FOOL, I SHOULD BE THE ONE ASKING THAT!" Lissandra shouted at him, her voice breaking up a she lowered her head, her arms rigidly straight as she pushed her closed fists down on her knees, clenching her fingers tighter and tighter as she gritted her teeth and drew a ragged breath.

"I thought you were… I thought I had…" She whispered as Alan sat up, wincing at the soreness in his body. He reached for her face, doing what he did before and pushing her mask off. As soon as the mask came off and fell back, tears cascaded down her cheeks, unrestrained as she kept her gaze lowered.

"Hey… Look at me." He said gently as she slowly and hesitantly turned her pained eyes on him, her dark blue gaze meeting his electric blue ones. "I'm alive. You didn't kill me."

"But I almost did… I almost did…" She whispered, taking another ragged inhale of air as more tears escaped from the corners of her eyes.

"That was not you. You're under the Watcher's control as well, Lissandra." Alan said as Lissandra bit her lower lip, holding back another sob. "In my dream, I travelled to the fade." His words made Lissandra's eyes widen as her breath hitched again. "I met a man there. The White Phantom. Kassadin."

"H-how…"

"He's still alive, but he is trapped in the Void with Vel'koz. And he said Vel'koz has almost regained most of his power again and will be returning. He told me Vel'koz has controlled you for all these years. He cannot directly control you, but he can whisper your desires into your ears in his own, twisted way. You need to break free from his gaze." Alan said as Lissandra lowered her eyes in shame again.

"I betrayed my sisters… All for my greed… For my jealousy… I don't think I can break free." She said, looking nothing like the powerful queen she has always looked like. Now, she simply looked like a broken woman.

"Hey… Look at me. Look at me." Alan soothed, gently guiding her face up with his hands again so she looked into his eyes again. "The past doesn't matter. What matters is now. You need to break free, Lissandra. You _can _break free. I know it. I believe in you." He said, his voice gentle yet empowering as Lissandra stared at him with the same look of self-loathing. "Why… Why are you doing this Alan. I used you, I used everyone… To get what I want… Then why?" She asked as Alan simply stopped trying, instead, letting himself act on instinct. He leaned forward, bringing her face gently forward with his feathery touches as well. They neared each other ever so slowly, each inch taking an eternity to cross...

And then, their lips finally met and it felt like a raindrop had fallen into a sea at turmoil, yet instead of adding more ripples to the waves, it sent a shockwave that turned the chaotic whirlpool into a glass-like existence of serenity. Everything felt right, everything felt like it was where it was meant to be as the warmth of Alan's soft lips flooded into Lissandra's lips. Their kiss did not deepen nor did it evolve; it was simply thus. A kiss, gentle and loving, full of strength for the both of them. As Alan finally broke it off, leaning back a few inches while Lissandra's eyes slowly opened, surprise evident in her azure depths, he said, "Because… I have pledged my body and my soul for you Lissandra. You did not force me to do that. And a man does not go back on his word."

…

Reinhart couldn't sleep. There was too much tension in the air, what with Alan Frost's death being spread around the camp like wildfire. But it was just that; a rumor. Reinhart refused to believe it until he heard it officially from Jory or Lydia. Or from Lissandra herself.

After perhaps an hour of sitting with Analia in silence after their little conversation, a soldier had called him out in urgency. He was told that Alan Frost had received a grievous wound and was on the verge of death. But when Reinhart had rushed to his tent, he found Lydia denying him entry, or anyone else for that matter. Asking if there was anything he could do and being told that they had everything under control, Reinhart left to return to his own tent. There, he had spent the rest of the day in a tense wait, unable to sleep nor do anything under the thought of their Champion dying.

Did Reinhart care alot for Alan? Well, no. Alan was a friend, but first and foremost he was a very, very good warrior. That is what Reinhart respected most about Alan. He was also vital to Lissandra's army now and it would be a grave blow to them if he were to die. Reinhart also felt slightly responsible for Alan, seeing as how he had been Alan's mentor in combat. In the time they had trained and fought together, they had really formed a bond.

In the middle of the night, unable to just lie on his bed with all these thoughts flying around in his head, Reinhart walked out into the empty night to get his mind off things. He passed by Jory and Lydia's tent, but seeing the lights out, he decided not to disturb. Walking over to Alan's tent, he found a small source of light visible from inside the tent. But as he stepped close, he heard small sounds. It sounded like Lissandra and Alan were having a… moment. Reinhart silently stepped back, relieved to hear Alan's voice as that confirmed that he was not dead.

The great weight off his shoulder, Reinhart decided to start walking back to his tent to try and get some sleep again. But as he was passing by a distinct tent, he heard a scream. Loud and feminine. He rushed over to the source of the scream, not even noticing the guards outside as he burst into the tent.

Analia's head whipped towards him at his sudden entry, her eyes wild and her hair disheveled as she lay half covered by her sheets on her bed. Thankfully, she was clothed. In the lack of light in her tent, it was almost impossible to see had it not been for the diffused white light of the moon seeping through the fabric of the tent; The Freljordian moonlight had always been stronger due to it's northern position. So Analia was lit up in silver for Reinhart to be able to easily see the fear on her face.

"What's wrong?" He asked, feeling his heart pounding a bit too loudly from having heard her scream.

"N-Nothing… Just… Bad dreams." Analia said, equally surprised at Reinhart's sudden entry into her tent. Reinhart sighed, running his hand through his hair, pushing his bangs back, as he closed his eyes into his hand. Dropping his hand and opening his eyes to look at her again, he relaxed slightly. "Oh… Okay, goo- I mean, not good… I mean… Better, than what I th-"

"It's okay, I get what you mean." Analia said as Reinhart stopped, sighing in exasperation again. He wasn't normally someone to get tonguetied like that.

"Well… If you don't need anything… I'll just be going now…" Reinhart said as he turned around, walking to the tent flaps. Just as he was about to exit, however, her voice called out, "Reinhart, wait."

He paused, turning around as he found Analia fidgeting around in the bed, sitting up and staring down at the covers as she thought about why she stopped him. "I… I don't think I can sleep, nor do I want to anymore… So… Would it be too selfish of me to ask you to stay for a few minutes… To talk?" She asked, raising her face hopefully at him. Reinhart raised an eyebrow and Analia flustered slightly, although in the silver, dim light, it was hard to tell. "O-oh, think nothing of it! Its simply the fact that everyone else here is too daft for a decent conversation. Mind you, you're just as stupid." Analia said in defence as Reinhart sighed, an easy smile coming onto his face as he stepped back inside. "Sure. I couldn't sleep either, so what the heck." He muttered as he pulled up the chair nearer to her bed.

"With that face of yours, I'm sure you gave most of your men nightmares too as you walked." She said sarcastically again, but Reinhart spotted the gracious and sincere glint in her eyes as she looked at him. As she saw him looking at her, she flustered further. "D-Don't look at me like that, you perverted old man! I know you're desperate, but keep your lecherous gaze to yourself!"

Reinhart chuckled as he sat down, relaxing into the chair. "Old man? Please, I'm not that old."

"With that grizzled white hair of yours and all those lines you have on your face, its hard to tell." Analia said indignantly as Reinhart sighed, for perhaps the umpteenth time today, although this one was more relaxed than the rest. "I'm sure we're in for a looong night." He drawled with a laid back smile.

…

The bright morning light was what slowly roused him from his slumber as Alan groaned, shifting into a more comfortable posture. After a few minutes of tossing and turning, Alan finally woke up fully and sat up. Swinging his legs off the side and then standing up, Alan stretched with his arms in the air, a small groan escaping him as he found relief in stretching his sore muscles and bones. He then doubled over as a violent fit of coughing pressed its way out of him. He touched his chest, where he had been injured, but found no wound or pain there. But, since it had been healed by magic instead of through potions or herbs, the body still thought it was an injury and the phantom wound there still caused him to react like there was a hole in his lung; hence the coughing and sore muscles.

After about an hour, Alan came out, dressed in full armor and all cleaned up, looking fresher and healthier than he had a day ago, his white hair getting ruffled up by the wind as he stepped out. He began walking towards Lissandra's tent but he was stopped in the middle of the path by Lydia, who came running to him. "Alan, Alan!" she called as he stopped, watching her with slight surprise at her urgency. She stopped, bending over to catch her breath for a few seconds. "Reinhart… He's not in his tent." Lydia said as Alan frowned. "Alright, I'll go search." He said.

Walking to Reinhart's tent, he found that, indeed, it was empty. Alan then walked around a bit, asking some soldiers if they had seen Reinhart, yet all of them answered no. Finally, he found a soldier who said that one of his friends, who had the nightshift, saw Reinhart go towards their prisoner's tent. So, Alan walked to Analia's tent and stopped outside as the guards stationed there straightened up at his arrival.

"Hey, have you men seen Reinhart exit this tent?" He asked as the men shook their heads. "We don't know anything, sir! We're the morning shift. Our night Shift only told us not to enter or let anyone enter." They said as Alan rolled his eyes. He debated his options, shrugged then stepped right into the tent.

Thankfully, he found nothing too… revealing inside. He found Analia sleeping on her bed while Reinhart snoozed slumped on a chair near her bed. "Rise and shine, love birds, the sun says hello!" Alan said loudly as Reinhart jolted awake. "Goddammit Alan, didn't anyone ever teach you how to wake someone up nicely."

"I'd say Karma." Alan said smugly as Analia groaned, muttering something that sounded like, "Piss off." before turning over and putting her pillow over her head.

"Seriously guys. Wake up. We're going to Ashe's castle." Alan said as Reinhart jumped off his chair while Analia jolted up.  
>"What!?" They both said simultaneously.<br>"Aww, you're both so adorable." Alan said with a grin as Reinhart walked past him grumpily while muttering, "Don't make me shove my foot up your ass this early in the morning, Alan."

With that, Reinhart left and Alan turned around to look at Analia.

"So… What's up?" Alan said non-chalantly.  
>"Get out." Analia said flatly as she crossed her arms and Alan nodded, walking out without another word.<p>

It took maybe another hour or so, but finally Reinhart walked upto Alan, who was standing outside of Lissandra's tent, wearing full armor. Analia also walked up, wearing her own armor, which had been patched up and repaired for her. Reinhart looked slightly surprised at her arrival as Alan answered him before he asked; "Lissandra's orders."

Just then, Lissandra exitted her tent, stepping out in front of them in full armor as well as Reinhart looked at her. "Lissandra, what the devil are you thinking?"

"Yeah, Ice Queen." Analia said scathingly, obviously holding a grudge against Lissandra as she crossed her arms. "If you think I'm going to help you battle against Ashe, you're sorely mistaken."

"There won't be any need for that, Analia… And to answer your question, Reinhart, I'm doing what I should've done long ago." Lissandra said as she looked at Alan, who smiled back at her reassuringly. "I'm going to have a talk with Ashe."

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><p><strong>ITS OFFICIAL! *Crowd cheering goes wild* ALAN AND LISSANDRA'S FIRST KISS.<strong>

**Well, they did kiss in Alan's vision-of-horrifying-deaths but HOLY SHIT THEY KISSED.**

**Also, Reinhart x Analia shippings starting, eh eh? *nudge nudge* You know what they say; Keep your friends close and your enemies in your bed.**

**They don't say that? Well fuck you, they do now.**

**Seriously, a whole lot of thanks to Nightrous1327 for taking the time for such a detailed review and for an even more detailed PM to help me with the story. Consider yourself officially noticed by me, my dearest Kouhai!**

**Stay... Well, shit I really did run out of ice puns for this. Oh well, just wait for the next chapter. I'm sure you'll all be _SHIVERING _with anticipation.**

**HAHA, I knew I could find another one if I stuck my hand up my ass far enough.**

**kthnxbaiguisloveyouall**

**- Wings Senpai.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Hello Everyone ^^ I'm sorry about the delay, but I'm having a hard time writing anything right now.**

**My depression is getting worse and I feel deader than ever right now. But writing is still one of the only things that brings life back into me, so I'll still be doing it, no matter how long it takes me.**

**Also, a side note; I'm now an Admin of a page on Facebook! I'm now working with several other admins on 'Rengar, The Pridestalker' under the Tag Wings. And Best of all, One of the Admins, the one who owns the page actually, is none other than Fellow League of Legends Fanfic writer, HoneybadgerDC xD He's a pretty cool guy and we've got good chemistry (Inb4 fangirls squeal and begin a Ship. WingBadger? HoneyWings?)**

**Anyway, this chapter isn't as long as the previous ones but it has alot more emotional intensity and character development.  
>In other words, LOTS OF FLUFF and some plot points.<strong>

**Enjoy~!**

**- Wings Senpai.**

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><p><strong>Song Recommendation for this Chapter: Never say Never by the Fray.<strong>

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><p><strong>Special shoutout to The Greek Geek3010! Thanks for being a friend, Katherine. And remember what I tell you; You're awesome and beautiful in your own way, so never hesitate or falter in your steps.<br>Another shoutout to my best mates, Sam and Mae. You two don't read stories, so you might never see this... But I still want to say that you two make this my lack of reason to exist a little bit bearable in this lifetime... Leaving you two will be the hardest thing I will ever do.**

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><p><span><strong>In her Icy Embrace<strong>

**Chapter 12**

If the air before was tense, it was nothing compared to how electrifying the air was right now. Lissandra, Alan, Reinhart and Analia, all fully armored and armed, were walking down a corridor lined with guards, all of whom were also fully armored. Alan led the way, since he had been here recently, even though everyone else in the group already knew the path, except for Reinhart.

After perhaps a minute of walking, they entered the grand hall that was Ashe's throne room. Just like the last time Alan had been here, guards were posted all around the room. Ashe was standing in front of her throne, arms crossed, wearing a large blue robe that seemed to define her role as a queen. She did not, however, wear a crown or anything of that sort.

"Ashe." Lissandra said curtly.  
>"Lissandra." Ashe replied.<p>

"Ashe!" Analia said loudly, stepping forward and kneeling down on one knee.  
>"Analia?" Ashe seemed genuinely surprised to see her here. "Arise, Ana, you don't have to hold such courtesies for me, you know that."<br>As Analia rose back to her feet, Ashe turned her face back to Lissandra's.  
>"Now… What brings you here Lissandra?" Ashe asked.<p>

"I suggest a truce." Lissandra said, her words being followed by a deafening silence as everyone stared at Lissandra. Even Ashe seemed surprised by her words as her eyes flicked over to Alan's face, which seemed the most normal, as if he knew this was going to happen.

"And Why, might I ask?" Ashe asked as Lissandra's lips thinned.

"You know why, Ashe. The watchers are returning." Lissandra said.  
>"That I know… But I'm asking why you're offering a truce. Do you plan on stabbing us in the back just like you did with Avarosa?" Ashe asked as Lissandra tensed a bit. Alan shot her a glance and he knew she looked at him through her helmet as well and her posture relaxed a bit.<p>

"No… What I did before was when I was blinded by power. I am doing this now so as not to repeat the mistake I made all those years ago." Lissandra said as Reinhart stared at Lissandra in surprise. He didn't know about all of this to such extent.

"So be it, Lissandra. I do not believe you, but I believe Alan." Ashe said, glancing at Alan before turning her gaze to Analia and Reinhart. "Analia, if you would take him around the castle for a bit while we talk."

"Ofcourse, Lady Ashe." Analia said as she and Reinhart turned around, leaving the room, Reinhart casting a glance back at Alan and Lissandra before he left the room. Ashe gestured at Alan and Lissandra to follow her and together, they walked off to another end of the large hall, where a large pair of doors stood. Walking past it, Alan found himself standing in the middle of a large circular room, although not as large as the main hall. It had a similarly round table in the middle, with a large map of Freljord in it. This seemed to be the conference hall.

Closing the door, Ashe walked over to the table and placed her hands on the edge of the table, leaning on it.

"I'm in a very hard position, Alan." Ashe said softly as Alan walked over to the table as well, Lissandra right beside him. "Here I am… Being forced to decide between my emotions… And the fate of my people. And as a queen to my people, I must choose the latter. I accept your truce." Ashe said, looking back up at Lissandra, who stared back without reaction.

"But Lissandra, the two of us can't defeat the Frozen Watcher, no matter how hard we try."

"I know that, Ashe. Many of my soldiers are already in the watcher's grasp, although it is impossible to tell who is indoctrinated and who isn't. I myself have the watcher's taint, but I can manage to keep it under control." Lissandra said as Ashe sighed.

"We will need Sejuani and her troops. She has the strongest warriors as well as the largest army." Ashe said as Lissandra crossed her arms.

"For once, I agree."

…

"Where are we going, exactly?" Reinhart asked as Analia led him through the corridors. Finally, she pushed through a door and Reinhart followed, looking around to see that she had led him to a small training room.

"This is my personal training room." Analia said as she began undoing the straps of her armor. "Strip your armor, Ser Knight." Analia paused and turned around with a smirk at him, her green eyes flashing slyly at him. "Unless, you prefer to hide behind it."

"So we're spending our time off… With more training?" Reinhart said and then, after a moment's pause, he grinned and began undoing his own armor straps. "You and I have alot in common."

After maybe a few minutes, Reinhart was in a plain grey tunic and black pants while Analia was in a white, loose top and pale blue pants. "Don't think I'm gonna go easy on you just because you're a pretty boy." Analia said, throwing him a wooden sword before she began to tie up her long golden hair into a ponytail. Reinhart caught the sword and raised an eyebrow in amusement. "Afraid to use real steel?"

"I simply thought it'd be bad to cut each other up while our respective Queens are in a tense truce." Analia said as she threw her sword up into the air and caught it again, repeating the gesture a few times to get the weight and balance of her sword. Reinhart switched his own sword from hand to hand, twirling it around to do the same. Finally, they both took a stance and everything fell still.

After an amount of time had passed, both of them rushed at each other at the same time.

_**CLACK! CLACK! CLACK! CLACK!**_

Both of them met their blades on each slash, strike for strike. Their wooden blades met for naught but seconds before they were already flying through the air again, moments before colliding with each other. Both of them parried and deflected each other's slashes with their own slashes, neither gaining ground. Finally, their blades crossed in between them again before both of them pushed off and disengaged, breathing harshly. They had been clashing blades for the last 10 minutes and both of them were badly winded, though neither had seen the time fly. "You are a very good swordsman. Better than Alan." Analia said, her tone approving as well as slightly indicative of her surprise.

"Well, Alan might be the famous Champion of Lissandra, but I'm still his mentor on swordplay." Reinhart said with some pride as Analia raised an eyebrow with a small grin, impressed. They dashed at each other again.

_**CLACK! CLACK CLACK! CLACK! CLACK CLACK CLACK! CLACK!**_

Their attacks were faster and more complex this time, but again, they kept cancelling each other out with every movement they made, like two dancers in complete sync. All of a sudden, Analia's right thigh, still sore and stiff from the injury done by Lissandra, cramped as she winced and faltered in her movement. Reinhart had already started a wide, horizontal slash aimed at her neck, having known that she would block or dodge it. But seeing her lapse, he knew it would collide. With every ounce of his strength, Reinhart managed to direct the slash upward so it sliced through the air above her rather than hitting her. The momentum, however, caused Reinhart to stumble and spin, slamming bodily into Analia.

They both fell onto the training mat as Analia's wooden sword skidded a few feet away, Reinhart's one flying out of his hand and clattering against the floor a good distance away. But that was not what the two fighters had focused on.

Reinhart was lying on top of Analia, his face barely inches above hers as he stared down at her, his ocean blue eyes gazing into her emerald depths. Sometime during the spar, her ponytail had come loose and this fall had caused her hair to escape it's binding, most of her golden tresses spread out around her head like a starburst of light. Her breath caught in her throat as she stared up at Reinhart and their close proximity. Her mind was muddled as her warm breath collided with his cold ones, his scent invading her nostrils and clouding her mind.

They leaned closer to each other, unconsciously, as Analia closed her eyes, feeling the ghost of his lips on hers yet the real thing was simple a hair's width away, his breath washing over her lips… And then, Reinhart drew away, pushing himself off of her and back onto his feet as Analia felt a rush of disappointment pour through her confusion.

"I'm sorry… I, uh… I'd offer you a hand, but we'd burn each other." Reinhart said with a bitterness in his voice as Analia realized that he had pulled away from the kiss because it would've burned both of them as well. A sorrowful yet guarded expression on her face, Analia stood up on her own as Reinhart averted his eyes, scratching the back of his head as Analia also looked away, unconsciously rubbing her left arm with her right hand. "Yeah, I get what you mean…" Analia muttered as an awkward few moments of silence passed.

"We should go freshen up, don't you think? I wouldn't want to show up all sweaty and smelly when Ashe calls us." Analia said, trying to defuse the situation. Thankfully it worked as Reinhart looked at her and gave a small smile. "Yeah, that would be bad."

"But hey, look at it this way, we'd be called 'The Sweaty Knight Duo'! I'd be Smelly and You'd be my sidekick, Stinky." Analia said sarcastically as Reinhart raised an eyebrow. "Me? Sidekick?"

"Well yes, you lost the fight afterall."

"Oh, I'm sorry Miss Thigh-Spasms for being a gentleman."

"So you admit you lost?"

"I never did nor will I ever do so."

...

The discussion had been finished and Reinhart and Analia had both returned to the conference room, fully armored again.

"Alright, now that everyone is here, I would like to outline our plan." Alan said, looking around the table at everyone. "Our first objective is to gain the support of Sejuani and her Winter's Claw. They have the strongest troops in Freljord and we cannot do anything without her support. She should also possess the third Frig weapon, maybe even the third champion."

"Ashe's scouts have been tracking them and they are to the North West, which is good in a way, because our next objective is there." Alan continued.

"The Seeker's temple." Ashe said as everyone except Analia grimaced slightly. "I'm guessing you don't know about the Seeker's temple. I don't blame you; I didn't know about it until a few minutes ago." Alan said to Analia before looking at Lissandra, who took the cue from him.

"The Seeker's temple is supposedly the home of a prized artifact of Freljord. Long ago after the fall of the Frozen Watchers, there was a man who sought out the shards of the Ultimate Weapon. But then, the shards did not belong to our ancestors. Rather, they were strewn around in the depths of the Howling Abyss. As you all know, that area goes unfathomably deep and temperatures fall close to absolute zero, something not even us iceborn can withstand. Therefore, this man, known as the Seeker, made a set of armor, built from the remains of the ancient Watchers, a chitinous-metal. He used that armor to trek through the abyss and come out alive."

"And the temple is where he lives?" Analia asked.

"Not quite. He was human, just like you or Alan." Reinhart said.  
>"Meaning he's long dead." Ashe added. "But his armor still rests within the depths of the temple."<p>

"And we're going to get it." Alan said. "We don't know what we will be facing when Vel'koz rises, so we need all the help we can get."

"So, Reinhart. Go back to camp and tell everyone to rest up for tomorrow, we travel after a day's rest." Lissandra said as Reinhart nodded, giving her a small bow and then turning about on his heels, walking out of the room.  
>"Ana, please tell the servants to prepare a room for Lissandra and Alan. One for Ser Reinhart as well." Ashe said gently as Analia nodded, also turning around and briskly walking out. As the three of them were left alone in the room again, Alan could feel the tense silence between the two.<p>

"I believe we're done for now." Lissandra said before walking out of the room, leaving Alan and Ashe. Ashe, who had kept a strong, calm demeanor up until now, sighed and sagged against the table, allowing herself to lean onto it. Alan looked at her weary expression and it seemed like she had grown 10 more years. There were no wrinkles on her face, yet the tiredness in her pale blue eyes, coupled with her white hair, made her seem very old and fragile.

"You should stay with Lissandra, Alan. She needs your company now more than ever…" Ashe muttered, effectively dismissing anything he was about to say to her. Alan stayed silent, before nodding and walking out, leaving Ashe in the room alone.

Alan walked aimlessly through the halls, exploring Rakkelstake Castle yet not really seeing anything. He found himself standing infront of a large pair of double doors, flanked by both Lissandra's guards and some Avarosan Guards. He guessed this was Lissandra's door, so he knocked on it.

"Its me." He said as he waited a couple of moments.

"Come in." Her voice came from behind the closed doors, so Alan opened the doors and entered.

Alan saw that all the lights hand been turned off in the room, and as he closed the doors behind him, it plunged the room into darkness. Not complete darkness, however, as light flooded into the room from the open balcony doors.

"I'm out here." Lissandra's voice drifted out from the balcony. Alan followed the light and stepped out into the balcony, surprised to see that darkness was already falling. The sun had fallen below the horizon and the sky was now the dark blue illumination of evening, the starts twinkling up in the sky. Alan felt his breath catch in his throat.

Lissandra was sitting on the edge of the balcony, fearless to the precarious she sat over. Her feet were curled below her and hooked into the balcony railings, as the long blue robe she wore fluttered in the wind that blew through. She was, surprisingly, not wearing her mask, so her long white hair was free to dance along with the wind, gently swaying to the side as she turned around to look at him, her periwinkle eyes focusing on him. Her long, cat-like ears twitched as Alan found himself mesmerized by the sight of her in that posture, bathed in the blue light of the dying twilight.

"Why aren't you wearing your mask?" Alan asked, too dumbfounded to ask anything else.  
>Lissandra gave a small, sad smile as she looked back out at the sky again. "War is coming, Alan." She said as Alan stepped up beside her, leaning on the balcony railings right next to her. "And this little war I had with Ashe and Sejuani… It won't even compare to the one that is coming. Time is short and you never know when it might be the last chance to do something." She said sadly as Alan stayed silent.<p>

"I simply wanted to watch the sun set and the stars shine without hiding for the fear of being judged… At least, once." She said again as Alan acted instinctively, suddenly side-stepping so he was right behind Lissandra. He embraced her from behind gently, his arms crossing around her waist as Lissandra stiffened up. He rested his head on her left shoulder as he stared up at the stars as well, disregarding how Lissandra's face was suddenly flushed.

"Yeah… The sky really is beautiful tonight." He said as the final rays of sunlight faded from the horizon. The sky, however, suddenly lit up with bright, multiple colors as a wave of light began dancing in the sky. "An Aurora." Lissandra said in mild surprise as she slowly relaxed into his embrace.

"Alan?" Lissandra said, her voice low as Alan hummed in reply. "What if we don't win the war?"

This was one of those moments again… One of those moments when Lissandra stripped herself of her hard, cold exterior and revealed her inner innocence. She asked him the question like a child might, who was scared of the prospects.

"We will win, Liss." Alan muttered as he allowed his head to tilt a bit to the side, resting his head upon the crook of her neck as Lissandra also tilted her head towards him, resting her head ontop of his, her cheek touching his hair. "We have to." He added.

"If we don't…" Lissandra muttered. "I'm just.. I just want you to know… That… I'm glad I rescued you out of that avalanche." She said, a small smile coming onto her lips as Alan also allowed himself a smile. "I'm glad I decided to risk my life coming here in the first place. Otherwise, I would never have met you." Alan said. After that, the two were silent, simply content to enjoy each other's closeness and company as they stared up at the beautiful, shifting colors of the night sky aurora.

…

She was in so much pain. She was suspended in the air, her limbs held by some kind of snake… No… They were tentacles. Large tentacles with a harsh texture that rubbed her skin raw, and they were pulling at her limbs so hard… She screamed as she felt her joints being pulled to the absolute limit. And then… Past that limit.

This time, she screamed loudly in reality, jumping up into a sitting position as she looked around wildly. Her hands scrambled all over her body, checking to make sure she was completely fine. Again, another nightmare. Again, it was so real…

Analia couldn't take it, the same torture night after night. Every one had a breaking point and Analia had reached hers as a sob escaped her, half caused by fear and half caused by frustration, as she stared down at her hands, which were trembling badly. Actually, her whole body was trembling, now even more as they shook from her soft crying.

The door to her room opened as her green eyes shot up to see Reinhart standing there, staring at her in surprise, worry in his eyes. "Are you alright?" He asked her as Analia simply buried her face in her hands again and cried, ashamed that he would see her like this. He stayed silent, watching her cry like that and felt helpless at not knowing what to do. "I'm… Sorry, I shouldn't have intruded." He muttered and began to back away.

"Wait!" She suddenly cried out as Reinhart stopped, looking back inside to see her wiping her eyes, sniffing to clear her nose as she tried to compose herself. "Reinhart… Would you please… Sleep with me tonight?" She asked timidly, fear evident in her eyes as they took on a large, round shape. Reinhart stared at her and didn't wait to be asked twice as he stepped in and closed the door. As he looked around for another surface, Analia scooted over to one side of the bed. "It's okay… We can share the bed." She muttered softly as Reinhart walked over, sitting on the edge. "Are you sure it's okay? I mean… What if we touch each other?" He asked gently.

"It's okay… We won't… I trust you." Analia said as she attempted a small, wavering smile. Reinhart's gaze softened as he stared at her before he swung up his legs and lied down on the bed beside her. "Bad dreams?" He asked.

"Yes." She muttered, lying back down on the bed and on her side to face Reinhart as she pulled the covers up. Reinhart lied on his back, staring up at the ceiling as he sighed. "Well, are there any monsters in your dream?" He asked and the way he asked, Analia couldn't help but smile a little. "Yes, I guess." She answered.

"Good. So now, go to sleep and if the 'big bad monster' shows up again, I'll be there to save your helplessly pretty ass." Reinhart said as Analia snorted. "I don't know what I should comment on, the fact that you're jumping in to play the shining knight who saves the damsel or the fact that you've checked out my butt." She said as Reinhart looked at her from the corner of his eyes, a grin on his face. "Goodnight, Analia." he said as Analia pulled the covers further up and curled up slightly, making herself comfortable. The mere presence of him beside her gave her more comfort than she had for the last few nights, and right now, she let out a sigh of relief as she relaxed completely for the first time in many nights.  
>"Goodnight, Reinhart." She said sleepily as Reinhart's eyes drifted shut as well.<p>

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><p><strong>I don't have much of anything to say right now, other than; Please leave a review on your thoughts or comments on the chapter, or anything you might want to say.<strong>

**...What? Are you waiting for something? Oh, you're waiting for me to make a cold-related pun? Don't lie, I can totally tell you're waiting for it. What's that? You think I'm out? Pfffft, Don't think I don't know what you're thinking. BECAUSE ICEY WHAT YOU'RE DOING THERE.**

**HahahahaaaaaaaI need a life. ._.**

**~ Wings**


	13. Chapter 13

**HEY GUYS, GUESS WHO'S BACK!?**

**Yup, its truly me, the one and only Wings Senpai! And I've come bearing News!**

**Now if you're here for the story, just read this sentence then go off to read the story. This chapter is a long chapter and it contains a Lemon, so Perverts, have at it!**

**Anyway, I'm sorry for my delay. For those who have not heard, I've recently just changed countries and joined a University. My classes are slowly starting and each day I find myself with less and less time for writing. But, I'm having lots of fun here as I'm finally being able to live a solo-life!**

**Also, I'm quite happy to say that I've found myself a curious little blonde creature who enchants me with her presence. She's also been a large cause of my procrastination from writing, but she has also been cause for something much better. My dear readers, I finally feel a twinge of warmth in my cold, numb interior. I feel a pulse within the dark oblivion surrounding my soul. She might be a thousand miles away from me, yet her presence is something I feel within myself and, for the first time in God-knows-how-long, I finally feel like I'm not that forsaken in life. I finally feel less morose and morbid. Because someone out there cares for me in the same special way i care for them. Its nothing too serious yet, but Its something. A Rose blooms wonderfully if it grows, but it needs nurturing and it needs time. And I plan on caring for it as much as I can to help it bloom into something beautiful. You guys should also thank her, as she's been helping me just as much as my muse has been to write.**

**With all of that out of the way, I give to you the long-awaited long-overdue update xD  
><strong>**Enjoy**

**~ Wings Senpai**

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><p><strong>Those wishing to simply read the lemon or to skip it (not advised; lots of fluff and character development), the scene begins at the first Line-Divider within the story and ends at the second Line Divider. A Line Divider is these lines that this little message is surrounded by above and below. I normally use them to separate my author's notes from my story, so I rarely use it in the middle of my story, so it should be easy to spot, no? xD<br>Enjoy.**

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><p><span><strong>In her Icy Embrace<strong>

**Chapter 13: Seek what isn't sought after**

They began their trek early next morning. Like Lissandra, Ashe took the majority of her military might with her, leaving some to hold Rakkelstake. They trekked towards the North-West, where Sejuani's last whereabouts had been. Ashe walked near the front of the group, along with Lissandra and Alan. They were trailed by both Lissandra's Congelate and Ashe's Royals, Reinhart and Analia in them both, fully armored.

"From what I hear, Sejuani seems like a real hard nut to crack." Alan said with a small frown as Ashe groaned. "You have no idea, Alan." Ashe said. "She's always been one to put strength over wisdom, yet her tactical knowledge in battle surpasses both mine and Lissandra's." Ashe said.

"However, what she has in that, she lacks in civil skills. Her people are barbaric and rash. They lack the finesse of the Avarosans and edge of the Iceborn, relying only on raw strength." Lissandra said with a small hint of contempt in her cold tone.

"So how do we persuade Sejuani to join forces with us?" Alan asked. "She might be rash… But she's not stupid and she cares for her people, just as we do." Ashe said, eyes unfocused in thought.

"But we'll have to prove our might to her." Lissandra said, crossing her arms. "She won't follow us if she deems us weak."

"Well then, I guess I'll just have to beat her in battle then." Alan said as he tightened his grip on Frig Ascutis.

The walk was long, arduous and silent. Even after hours of walking, they saw no signs of Sejuani nor the Temple of the Seeker. Reinhart nodded, taking the updates from a messenger who had just come back from the outriding scouts, letting him know it was still clear for miles around them. Analia watched with small curiousity. He always seemed so stoic and composed, his serious demeanor making him look like he was very old, yet whenever he seemed to joke with her, he seemed so young and full of life again.

As if sensing her gaze, Reinhart looked over to her. Analia tied her long golden hair back in a ponytail, her green eyes blinking at him, her lips a pale pink in the cold air. "Anything wrong?" He asked as Analia blinked again before averting her gaze forward again. "No, Its nothing." She said.

Up front, Alan brought up his right arm and loosened his gauntlet, pulling it off and holding it in the crook of his elbow before continuing to take the glove off as well, inspecting his hand. He flexed his right hand, feeling the full mobility of it. The stiffness had gone as well, although now only a white scar remained. The blue marks were still there on the back of his hand, as well as all over his arm. Grimacing, he pulled his gloves back on and put his gauntlet back on as well, tightening it.

Lissandra had been watching.

"Do you regret it, Alan?" She asked.

"Regret what?" He asked, looking over at her with eyebrows slightly raised.

"Picking Frig Ascutis up." Lissandra asked. Alan frowned, thinking about it before he shook his head. "I don't." He replied.  
>"Why not?" She asked.<p>

"It was my fate. I was destined to wield this blade… And even if I had not, Its not like I had a great life to go back to." He muttered.

Lissandra tilted her head. "You know, Alan, you never told me about your life." She said gently, hoping it wasn't a painful past.

Alan shrugged. "There's not really much to say, honestly. I was born and raised in Piltover, my father was a foreign inventor and my mother was the one who raised me. My father died in an accident when I was very young. My mother died back when I was 17 years old, out of a sickness borne from the cold, ironically. I worked there as an adventurer, taking part in trips and hikes to dangerous unexplored places so they could be mapped or a mission could be completed. An ordinary life, really. And like you saw, I didn't even know the extent of my powers until I got here. Even coming to Freljord was supposed to be a well-paying job." Alan's eyes slowly widened as he thought about what had happened to his home. What about the other hikers? They were all dead yet he was alive. The thought of it made him slightly bitter. Those men deserved to live too. They had families, maybe. Loved ones. People who would miss them. But Alan had left because there was no one who would miss him if he went here.

"Honestly… I came here to die." He said quietly.

A step faltered, but Lissandra recovered quickly, looking at Alan through her helmet. She didn't say anything. Alan smirked a bit. "But Its okay. I have things to do now. Things to accomplish. People to live for." He said, glancing at Lissandra and giving her a reassuring smile. Lissandra looked back at him, unsure of how to respond to his… warmness.

The rest of the journey had indeed lasted in non-important silence. Hours upon hours passed.

Finally, a scout came running back to them. "Queen Ashe! I've found them! I've already spoken with the perimeter guards and they told me to let you know that Sejuani will meet you outside of her camp." The man said.

"Sejuani doesn't trust us." Ashe said.  
>"We're nearly twenty thousand strong. Ofcourse she wouldn't trust us when we've showed up with an army to her doorstep." Lissandra said. "If we hadn't arrived together, she would've sent back a welcome party with our messenger, thinking either of us were attacking her."<p>

Trekking through a bit more distance, A few figures finally became clear through the blizzard. Sejuani was easily distinguishable as she stood next to her great battle boar. Alan couldn't help but marvel at the sight of her. She looked every bit like the warlord she was reputed to be. She was taller than him, almost as tall as Reinhart, standing at perhaps a massive 6 foot 1 inch in all her armor, which made her taller than Lissandra (Though Lissandra keeping herself raised on ice when she glided through the snow gave her an extra feet). She nearly towered over Ashe and her seemingly puny 5 feet 5 inch height. And her boar was even more massive, almost 12 feet at Its tallest, with tusks large enough to run an entire man through.

"Ashe. Sejuani. What an _unpleasant _surprise." Sejuani said, her voice loud and firm as she crossed her armored arms. "State your business." She said, a no-nonsense attitude.

"Sejuani. The watchers are rising again." Ashe said. Sejuani turned her frosty glare onto Ashe. "I know that, _princess._" She said the word mockingly, making Ashe's eyes flash for a second.  
>"And?" Ashe asked.<br>"And what? Do you expect me to tell you I've got some grand scheme ready to beat them?" Sejuani said, guffawing loudly at that before shaking her head. "That's the Ice Bitch's job." She said, gesturing with her chin at Lissandra.

"Watch your tongue, you savage." Lissandra hissed as Sejuani grinned at Lissandra. "Think your little posse scares me, Ice Bitch? I'll call you whatever the fuck I want whenever the fuck I feel like."

"Alright, Sejuani." Ashe said, trying to defuse the situation. "You know the watchers are rising, and yes, we do have a plan, but we need you to help us with it."

"Oh? What do you need?" Sejuani asked.

"We need your forces to join up with us. We're all going to do a last stand against the Watchers." Ashe said.  
>"Oh, okay so you need all my troops. Do you need all my dresses too? Maybe you want Bristle as well! Oh, and while you're at it, why not take my fucking flail too!" Sejuani said scathingly. She uttered a short snort of derision and then continued, "Look Ashe, Its cute that you and Ice Bitch here's getting along all nice and joining up to fight the Watchers, but I want no part of it nor do any of my people." Sejuani said.<p>

"If we do not succeed, the watchers will come for you next, Sejuani." Lissandra said solemnly. "They seek vengeance from their last fall and they will not stop until all of us are dead."

"Well then, when they do come after us, I'll make sure to make them regret it." Sejuani said as she turned around.

"So this is the great Sejuani?" Alan said loudly. "Nothing but a coward, it looks to me." Sejuani, who had begun walking away, stopped. She turned around. "What did you just call me, boy?"

"Craven. Chicken. A disgrace to the rumors that are about you. A disappointment." Alan said as he stepped forward.

"And who the fuck are you?" She said, turning around and walking up to him. He didn't back down as she walked right upto him, looking down at him with her slight height advantage. She pushed up against him, but he didn't budge. "Some sort of glorified pet of Lissandra's?"

"My name is Alan Frost."

"Ah, the chosen one, as people like to call you. I've heard alot about you Alan Frost. Sejuani said as she turned around with a grin, walking back to her boar. She took her flail from him and whipped it out to full length, the heavy piece of ice at Its end dropping into the snow with a crunch. "Draw your magic sword, Alan Frost, and we'll see how it goes up against my flail of Permafrost."

Alan drew out the broken blade of Frig Ascutis. The tingling ran through him as he held it infront of him. Wind began blowing as it condensed around Alan's sword, a swirling mass of wind as small specks of ice began flying around it as well, the indigo blade of dark ice forming until it was complete.

"Step aside, Alan." Reinhart said in a dark voice as Alan looked back at him. "What?" He asked, slightly taken aback.

"I won't let this woman insult my Queen infront of me while doing nothing." Reinhart said, stepping past Alan as he looked at him. Alan stared back at Reinhart, the message passing through their eyes as Alan nodded, letting his stance drop. "Alright, Reinhart." He stepped back as Reinhart drew his own sword. Unlike Alan's sword, Reinhart's blade was pure dark ice, sleek and deadly sharp.

"I don't care who wants to face me in battle, I'm going to fuckin' pulverize you." Sejuani said aggressively as she swung her flail around.

"You're welcome to try, Pigwhore." Reinhart said icily as Sejuani growled. She ran forward, as did Reinhart. Sejuani swung her flail around but Reinhart ducked under it, before thrusting forwards and upwards with his blade. But Sejuani simply pulled her flail back, using the butt of the handle to deflect his weapon as the flail came flying back around towards his head. Reinhart's eyes widened a millisecond before he managed to move out of the way, the air from the flail hitting his face as the flail itself whipped past. He jumped back, looking at Sejuani, who whirled her weapon around.

"Quite the unorthodox weapon there." He commented as Sejuani allowed herself a proud smile. "And I know how to use it. That's what kills my opponents." Sejuani said as Reinhart flatly stared back. "You won't find me that easy to kill."

He rushed at her again and feinted to the left. Sejuani fell for it as she swung towards her left. Reinhart flashed to her right, his blade swinging towards her. Sejuani swiveled so the blade glanced off of the side of the battle-scarred metal breastplate she wore. She spun around quick with a loud cry and the flail came whipping at him. Reinhart ducked under it, the flail flying past with speed that could've taken his head off. And just as he was returning to stance, the flail came flying back around again, this time slower because of Its more subtle swing but it still came.

It slammed into Reinhart's side, the platinum armor of the Congelate cracking from the blow as Reinhart fell to his knees from the impact, grunting in pain. Sejuani brought her flail back and then cried out angrily as she made an overhead swing down at the downed knight.

Reinhart jumped lunged forward, getting into Sejuani's range as he shoved his sword up at Sejuani. Sejuani, however, whipped her flail handle down, catching the blade with the chain and deflecting it down to the ground. As Reinhart's blade fell, Sejuani's other fist came flying and score a direct hit into his face.

Dazed from the powerful blow, he couldn't manage to do anything about the other end of the flail, which slammed into his back after Sejuani had pulled it down, almost a split second after he was punched.

The sound of his armor shattering filled the air as Reinhart fell to the ground, unmoving as Sejuani stood over him.

"You've lost…" She said, raising her free hand and wiping the blood off of her neck, where Reinhart had managed to just nick with his blade. "But you're strong, I'll give you that. A worthy warrior."

Everyone stared in silence, Analia about to take Frig Dinte out and defend Reinhart should Sejuani make any more aggressive moves towards the downed knight. Yet, Sejuani simply raised her gaze to Lissandra and Ashe. "Get someone to take care of your fallen knight. You two. Come. We have things to talk about. Your army can camp here, outside and away from my camp." Sejuani said as Lissandra's lips thinned. "Alan, get Reinhart to Jory. Quick."

"I'll do it." Analia said, rushing forward. She pulled Reinhart up, slinging one of his arms over her shoulders as Reinhart groaned, barely concious, a trickle of blood dripping from the corner of his mouth. A pang of panic struck Analia. She hurried, dragging Reinhart to Jory as Lissandra and Ashe followed Sejuani. Alan looked back at Analia, before following.

…

"Don't think soft of me, you two. If it wasn't for the threat of the watchers, I would never have allowed you two into my tent, much less anywhere near my camp with your lives." Sejuani said as she took her spot at the head of her planning table. "I thought you both were either already in the influence of the watcher or too weak, but that knight showed me otherwise. He fought with real skill, not something a watcher drone would do. And that also proved to me that you two weren't weak enough to be liabilities…" Sejuani looked at both of them. "I won't lie, I hope both of you die in this war."

"You might want that, but I don't wish that upon you, Sejuani." Ashe said as Sejuani snorted at her in contempt. Lissandra stayed silent, ominously staring at both of them through her mask. Alan simply crossed his arms.

"Whatever. You told me you two have a grand plan." Sejuani said, standing with arms akimbo as she waited.

"We do. But first, we need to find the temple of the Seeker." Ashe said.

" 'We' cannot find it." Lissandra said as everyone looked at her.  
>"What do you mean, Lissandra?" Alan asked.<p>

"The Temple of the Seeker… Can only be found by the one seeking it. Alan, you must journey to the north alone to find the temple and retrieve his raiment."

Alan looked at everyone's face in turn and nodded. "So be it. I'll journey to the north and find the Seeker's temple and come back as soon as I find what I'm looking for."

Ashe shook her head. "You know nothing, Alan Frost. It won't be that easy."

"Well, I don't really have a choice now do I? I either find it and come back or we all die." He said.

"I don't like entrusting my life to a whelp like you." Sejuani said as Alan stared at her. "But I see a fire in your eyes in this land of ice."

"So, I should leave as soon as possible." Alan said.

"That would be wise." Ashe said.

"Alan, a word?" Lissandra spoke as Alan nodded. Both of them stepped outside of the tent into the blizzard. Taking him a few steps away from the tent, Lissandra hesitantly put a hand on Alan's breastplate, surprising Alan.

"Don't die, Alan. And come back soon." She said as Alan nodded. "I will- I mean, I won'- I mean, ugh." Alan shook his head as Lissandra chuckled quietly. But Alan raised his hand and put his hand ontop of Lissandra's hand all the same, pushing it gently against his chest, where a few layers of armor, clothes, flesh and bones separated her hand from his heart.

And then, Alan turned around, his cape of blue fluttering behind him in the wind of the ever-present blizzard around them as he walked off. 20 feet away, he vanished in the white storm, leaving Lissandra staring at where he had disappeared to.

...

Alan wished time would go faster or if he could find the temple soon. He had no idea how much time had passed, but he had been walking for ages with nothing in sight except snow and snow. Snow all around his feet, snow falling from the sky. Snow everywhere. He trudged on and on. Visibility was low, he couldn't even see 10 feet infront of him. And everything looked the same. Was he still heading north? Did he get turned around?

Alan looked behind him, but there were no footsteps. The snow was falling hard and fast, with the wind blowing strong. He left no trail. No way to know if he was going in the right direction, no way to find his way back. He was lost. His white hair was sticking to his face, the falling snow having turned it damp. But, like always, he could never feel the cold nor did it affect him. But the weight of the snow falling on him was slowing him down. It weighed heavy on him with each miniscule impact, insignificant on their own yet formidable as they fell upon him like a barrage, uncountable flakes of snow hitting him every second.

He closed his eyes and exhaled, steeling himself before continuing to walk forward. He had to keep walking. He was seeking the Temple of the Seeker. Those who seeked it would find it. He knew that. He would find it… He would…

…

* * *

><p>Analia sat on a stool next to Reinhart's bed, although it was more of just some soft layers on the floor of the tarped tent rather than a bed.. Lydia was packing up their supplies back into the carrying case while Jory put the remainder of the potion on the floor next to him. "If he feels more pain when he wakes up, feed him the rest of this potion, although I've already given him enough to heal the majority of his wounds. But, like always, his bruises will still be tender and stiff." Jory said matter-of-factly. Analia nodded. "Thank you, Jory." She said.<p>

Jory gave her a rueful, wise smile. "Do not thank me for doing what I'm here to do, young one. Rather, wish that I do not have to do this often. I would much rather see everyone healthy and fit rather than paying me visits for my services." He said as Analia smiled at his words. "Take care of him now." With those parting words, Jory left the tent. Analia sighed, going upto the mouth of the tent.

Poking her head out, she found an Avarosan soldier and a Frostguard Soldier standing guard outside. "See to it that no one comes into this tent." Analia said as the guards nodded. Analia went back into the tent, walking back to Reinhart's side. She stared down at him for a couple of minutes, mentally cursing him for his stupid sense of valour that had led him to fight Sejuani and get his spine broken. If it wasn't for Jory, she didn't know what would've happened to him… Thankfully there was no lasting injury. He had been stripped down, so under the covers he wore nothing but a pair of breeches. Much of his upper body was visible, however, and Analia couldn't help but admire the hard edges of his muscular torso and arms.

But he showed no signs of stirring or waking up and within 5 minutes Analia had begun to fidget around in discomfort. Yet she would not leave his side. She did not want to.

Standing up, she began unclasping her armor. It took her a while but finally, she had neatly piled her armor on the floor near the corner of the tent, next to Reinhart's own shattered armor. Underneath all the armor, she wore a loose indigo tunic and black pants. More comfortable now, as she undid her ponytail and ran her hand through her long hair a couple of times to give it more freedom, she turned around to walk back to her stool, only to find Reinhart propped up on his arms, looking at her. Suddenly she felt quite self conscious as a small flush crept up her neck. But her concern won out over that as she briskly walked over to him.

"You're awake. How are you feeling?" She asked as Reinhart stretched his neck, sitting up. "A bit sore…" He muttered as Analia glanced at the potion. Before she could say anything, Reinhart shook his head, inspecting his hands as he flexed them infront of his face "No potions. I've had enough and my skin feels too warm." He then looked up at her again. "What about the battle? I lost... "

"You almost bloody died and you're worrying about losing!?" Analia almost shouted as Reinhart didn't even flinch. "Keep your voice down." He said calmly.

"How do I manage that when you're such a bloody stubborn fool! Recklessly charging into battle like that!" She seethed.

"I wasn't going to let her insult Lissandra in my presence." Reinhart said fiercely as Analia glared at him.

"Why do you care so fucking much? I know she's your sword queen and she gave you a new life to lead, but to risk your life for her over every little implication! Why is she so special!" Analia said and for a split second, Reinhart saw pain and hurt inside Analia's eyes.

He blinked, not knowing how to react to this sudden outburst as Analia looked away, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears. "Analia… Are you okay?" He asked gingerly.

"Fine!" Analia said, wiping at her eyes angrily. "Just… Bloody… Fuckin'... Fine…" She said, her queer accent leaking through. She turned around. "I'm gonna go." She muttered, but before she could, Reinhart grabbed her wrist and stopped her.

She stopped, looking back at him. Their eyes met for a split second before they stared at Reinhart's hand holding Analia's wrist. It was a tight, firm grip… But that was all it was. No pain. No burning. They were in contact but they weren't in burning with pain.

And all of a sudden, Analia was on top of him. Their lips met with heated fervor, an intensity of which rivalled their spar. Her hand roamed his chest, feeling the muscular ridges as one of his hands ran itself into the hair at the back of her head, holding her close as he kissed her while his other hand felt the smooth of her back as it travelled lower and lower. They needed no words now, only their emotions as it exploded out of them. They broke the kiss, gasping for air as Reinhart helped Analia out of her top, revealing her chest to him.

Reinhart had noticed before, but now he was looking at it right infront of him. Analia had a brilliant physique and her armor hid her true beauty. She had a toned, flat stomach, with a slim hourglass curve to her midriff and a sizable pair of breasts though they weren't over-large, with small pink peaks.

"What's wrong, never seen a pair of breasts before?" Analia said with a small smirk. "As I recall, you've already seen me naked be-ohh!" Analia's words were cut off as Reinhart leaned forward, taking one of the pink nubs into his mouth as he sucked on it while his hand found the other mound and kneaded it. Analia moaned as her hands found their way to his short, spiky white hair, running it through and gripping it tightly as he tasted her. His fingers brushed over the blue tattoo-like markings in the middle of the her chest, inbetween the two mounds, but he paid it no heed. Unlatching himself, he began blowing on the wet flesh he had just released, flicking the pink tip of the other breast with his finger as they harded, Analia gritting her teeth and arching her back in pleasure.

"You speak like a tavern wench, yet you react like a virgin maiden." Reinhart said with a smug smile as Analia huffed, leaning forward to capture his mouth in a kiss again, their tongues exploring each other's mouths and tasting each other as their hands roamed each other's bodies again. The intensity of their kissing blurred everything else as their bodies moved on their own and when they finally parted their kiss againt to breathe, Analia was straddling Reinhart, completely nude while Reinhart's manhood stood erect, facing upwards at Analia's entrance. Reinhart looked down at the soft blond curls above her entrance, hovering over him. He could feel the heat coming off of her, yet… She hesitated as she looked down.

"Is anything wrong?" He asked as Analia looked back at him, desire and lust evident in her eyes. She then sat down on him, impaling herself with his shaft. They both inhaled sharply as Reinhart's mind went white. She had taken his entire length into her, and all of it was now completely covered with soft warmth.. He felt so squeezed and warm, yet it was insanely good. He never knew such pleasure existed in this world. They stayed like that, adjusting to each other as they both panted heavily, yet… Reinhart felt something warm trickling down his lower regions.

He looked down, eyes wide with shock as he saw a red glimmer at the point where they were joined, and he could see Analia gripping the sheets around him tightly, eyes closed and teeth grit. "Analia… You were a…" He gaped like a fish out of water, too surprised and shocked to even say anything.

"Ofcourse… I am… was… Do you take me… for some commoner… wench?" Analia gasped, managing to speak in a breathless tone, obviously in pain. "Its… nothing too painful… But Its something... " She muttered as Reinhart sat up straighter again, leaning forward to capture her lips in his. Her mouth locked onto his greedily as if her body was looking for more places to join with him. This kiss was shorter, yet the passion behind it was unrivalled. "If it makes you feel better… This is the first time I've bedded a woman." Reinhart said as Analia looked up at him with mild surprise.

Reinhart chuckled at her reaction. "Many women do not find me very friendly… And, ofcourse, I have this ugly scar on my face." He said as Analia kissed him again, silencing him. As their kiss broke again, Analia gazed into his eyes. "I do not think your scar is ugly. Nor do I think it is bad." She said, holding onto his shoulder as she slowly slid up… then down on him again, gasping as she did while Reinhart grit his teeth. Adjusting to the stinging pain, which began receding again, Analia looked at him again. "I'm proud… of your scar… It shows… You are brave. A warrior. A knight."

"You are a knight too." Reinhart said as she shook her head gently. "I was not knighted, Reinhart… Only made champion." She said.

"You are a champion, indeed. A prouder title than Knight." He said as he helped her slide up and down another time, both of them groaning in the pleasure that spiked through them. The pain was completely subsiding in Analia now as she put her forehead against his, staring hard into his ocean blue depths with her emerald spheres. "My knight… Reinhart… I want to give you… All of me." She said as she began going up and down in a slow steady rhythm now.

Their body heat was beginning to permeate the air inside the tent, mainly from Analia's heated body. Up and down she went, feeling him leave her empty for a second before filling her completely again, taking the breath out of her with every stroke. Up until now, Analia had been rising up and down on Reinhart, while the man allowed her to go at her own pace. But it seemed he was at his limit now as she looked at him and found a smoldering desire behind the azure depths of his eyes. Reinhart grabbed her waist and he began to guide her up and down on him faster, thrusting himself up as well to meet her at every drop.

Her small gasps of pleasure now turned into louder moans of pleasure as Reinhart thrust into her, moving gradually faster with every hit, Analia half-moaning and half-gasping everytime he hit the deepest part of her. Heat pooled at her core as she felt herself being wound up tighter and tighter with each thrust, wanting him to go harder and faster.

Suddenly Reinhart pushed her down so she landed on the floor-bed on her back, her breasts bouncing from the impact. And then, Reinhart positioned himself ontop of her, his hands bracing themselves on either side of her head as she bent her legs up to allow him better access. And then, he began thrusting into her… No, that was too meek of a word. Her own desire for more was mirrored in him, it seemed, and he heard her unspoken wish. He went harder. Faster. He pounded into her, like a piston, rapidly penetrating her. Analia couldn't even form coherent thoughts, each breath naught but a short exhale and inhale inbetween the fast thrusts, so little she couldn't even make noise other than small "Ah!"s as she exhaled. Reinhart grunted with effort as he slammed into her, a sheen of sweat covering both of their skins in a shiny layer even though it was extremely cold this far north. But neither of them were affected by the cold as Analia found herself being wound up so tight, she was afraid she would break…

Yet, she didn't break. She wound up tighter and tighter until she couldn't be wound up any tighter and that was when all thoughts left her, her mind going blank as a loud moan escaped crawled out of her lungs, escaping out of her mouth as her back arched, her fingers clutching the sheets in a white knuckled grip as the lightning bolts of pleasure shot through her.

They seemed to travel from her and into Reinhart, as he felt her convulsing all around him, contracting and relaxing around his length too rapidly for him to even properly feel as it blurred into one insane feeling of bliss. With a powerful thrust, he hit the deepest part of her and groaned as he tipped over the precipice of his own climax, filling her with warmth as Analia moaned again at that feeling.

He pulled back and thrust into her two or three more times until he was fully spent before finally collapsing on top of her, a bit to her side so he could put most of his weight on one arm, half of his body covering half of hers, his length still inside of her. Yet, Analia reached over with her hand, grabbing his far shoulder and pulling him so he rested completely on top of her, her hands clutching at him and holding him close to her as she gasped and panted, caught in the bliss of the aftershocks as she numbly felt him still inside of her, filling her completely while his warm love juice leaked from her around his girth.

"Reinhart… I just realized…" She muttered as Reinhart, whose eyes had been closed as he lay on top of her, enjoying her warmth and closeness, opened his eyes lazily to look at her. "You never told me… your full name…" She muttered as Reinhart chuckled.

"Its Ser Reinhart Sevlras." He said as Analia let out a tired chuckle. He kissed her soft, plump lips again, a soft kiss of love rather than desire which was also short lasting, looking at her as it ended. "What's so funny?" He asked.

"Your last name… Sevlras… It sounds like… Chivalrous." She said as Reinhart chuckled in a deep voice as well. "I suppose it does…" He said huskily.

"Lets stay like this… Please…" Analia said, holding him tighter as she lay ontop of him. Reinhart nodded, using his leg to pull up the covers that had been kicked down, reaching back and grabbing it before pulling it over themselves. Analia sighed, closing her eyes and nuzzling herself into the crook of his neck while Reinhart kissed the top of her head, burying half of his face in her hair, allowing her scent to fill his lungs as he slowly closed his eyes.

* * *

><p>…<p>

How long had he been walking? He did not know. Dark had fallen and, this far north, it fell quick. It had gone from light to dark within a few minutes and now visibility was even worse. He couldn't see more than a few feet infront of him and when he raised his own hand infront of his face, it was completely black. That was how dark it was. He hoped he did not walk into a ditch or a hole and fall to his death. The last time he had trekked this far north, he had happened upon the cavernous hole underneath that had killed all the hikers who had travelled up here with him…

Yet, that was no where near where he was right now… Where was he? He had been walking for hours… So long, that his body had become numb and his walking movement was now just a mechanical memory that his body was following without concious thought. It had become as easy as breathing. His muscles were already numb, past the point of aching so he continued to walk and walk… Yet, the temple never showed itself.

His legs… They felt like lead. Each step was getting harder and slower to make. Even Alan, who was extremely resistant to the cold because of his peculiar powers, could feel a chilled numbness spreading throughout his body, slowly reaching to his core.

His next step was on loose snow as it suddenly gave way below him. Thankfully, it wasn't a huge cavern he fell into. Only a slope, causing him to fall down and roll down Its short length, stopping at Its bottom on his front. He couldn't find the strength to get up again as he lied there, half of his face resting on the snow. The blizzard, never-ending, was still coming down hard upon him and within a few seconds, he had a sheet of snow ontop of his back, his cape no longer fluttering under its weight. Yet, he could not move… He did not have the strength.

"Lissandra… Forgive me…" He whispered, his voice scarcely a whisper in his weakness. "Lissandra…" He whispered again, before his vision slowly faded….

He found himself standing on similar ground, with white snow all around him and snow falling from the sky. Yet, the snow falling from the sky was falling gently and sparsely, unlike the blizzard he had been in moments ago. And the sky was clear, black and starry as the moon shone down upon him, bathing the land in bright silver light. And it was quiet. No wind or sound.

"Alan Frost."

Alan turned around, seeing the man standing behind him. Long dark hair, queer metallic armor covering half of his face.

"Kassadin." Alan said as Kassadin remained silent, staring at him.

"Kassadin, I must find the temple of the seekers." Alan said as Kassadin blinked at him. "Seek for it and you shall find it, Alan Frost." He simply said.

"That's what I've been doing for the last who-knows how long." Alan said as he clenched his hands into fists. "Yet, I cannot find it at all."

"You know nothing, Alan Frost." Kassadin said, looking off to his right. Alan looked towards the same direction as well, staring off into the horizon where Kassadin was looking, trying to find what he was looking at. "You must seek it with the right reasons, Alan Frost. For so long, you have been seeking it for the sake of finding it and claiming the treasure within." Kassadin said. He raised his hand and pointed in the direction he was looking at. "But you must seek it for the right reason."

"The right reason…" Alan said.

"What do you fight for, Alan Frost?"

"I…" Alan's eyes widened in realization. "I… I fight for Lissandra. I fight for Freljord. I fight against the Watchers."

"Then look again, and Seek the weapons to fight the Watchers with." Kassadin said as Alan looked in the direction Kassadin was looking at. And there, where there had been nothing but empty, snowy expanse, rose a grand temple built into a frozen cliff face that stretched miles up into the air, too far for him to even seen the top of.

"Now, go Alan Frost. Seek the Seeker and learn the secrets." Kassadin said as Alan looked back at the man. "But the seeker is dead." Alan said, yet even his own words sounded unsure.

A gust of wind blew and Alan was forced to blink. The next moment, he realized his eyes weren't closed, but everything was black and silent because he was buried in snow. His powers awakened within him and with a grunt of effort and resolve, he rose up to his knees, the snow that had piled ontop of him exploding outwards to reveal him within Its crater. He stood up and walked up the slope of the crater he had fallen into. Once he reached the top, the storm seemed to grow quieter. Because infront of him lay the temple built into the cliff face which he had seen in his vision. The Temple of the Seeker.

* * *

><p><strong>REINHART AND ANALIA HAVE DONE IT. He has penetrated her barriers with his spear, if you catch my drift ;)<strong>

**I know you've got alot of questions; Feel free to state them in your reviews and I'll be sure to answer them either to you directly or as the story progresses.**

**But srsly, leave reviews. They help alot. I love reading about what you guys think and it reminds me that there are Actual people reading my sucky stories.**

**So, The three Freljord leaders have come together, the Watchers are stirring, Reinhart and Analia got lucky and Alan found the Temple of the Seekers.**

**And that's just the _Icing_ on the cake.**

**HAH!**

**See you guys next chapter.**

**~ Wings - Senpai**


	14. Chapter 14

**Heyo Ladies and Gents x3 I hope you've all had a brilliant Christmas. My one was spent in solitude, with no fancy dinners or gifts or anything xD But that's just me. Besides, I have had the company of my dearest, and that was gift enough for me 3**

**Enough mushy mushy from me xD Anyways, here's the next chapter of IHIE.**  
><strong>Before I start, lemme just point out that I'm doing a Collab Story with the awesome writer and friend, Alsodef! It's a Sword-Art Online and League of Legends Crossover. Do drop by and give it a read, I'm sure you'll like it xD And leave a review there as well, we all love to read reviews ^^<strong>

**Link to the story:**

** s/10859406/1/A-New-Reality  
>Not sure if the link will show up in the story, but if it doesn't, simply go to the Sword-Art OnlineLeague of Legends Crossover section. We're the only story there hahaha. Or just get to the story from my profile.**

**Anyway, without further ado, here's the next chapter. I purposely left a seeming-plot hole in the last chapter, as many of you have asked about in the reviews, because that hole is filled in this chapter with the answer to that question xD**

**Enjoy.**

**~ Wings**

* * *

><p><strong>ALSO, BEFORE I BEGIN, THERE'S A POLL UP ON MY PROFILE xD Go vote now to help me decide which one-shot lemon idea I should do~!<strong>

* * *

><p><span><strong>In her Icy Embrace<strong>

**Chapter 14**

After so long, the relief in him was almost palpable. The storm around him had quieted as snow no longer fell on him, each of his steps bringing him closer to the temple until he stepped off of snow and placed his foot on black stone. The entire temple seemed to be made of some kind of smooth material which was black, such as black marble. It also had golden designs along the massive pillars that stood sentinel on both sides of the massive doorway. He climbed the small flight of stairs, coming onto the edge of a large circle of black stone. All that stood between him and the entrance to the temple was this large circle of black stone.

And the knight standing in the middle.

He stood vigilant in armor so white, it seemed to have it's own glow about it. The armor was unlike any he had ever seen before, sleek and sharp looking, fitting to the slender knight's figure like it was a part of him. A ragged, torn cloak of white fluttered in the wind behind him, worn from many battles past. In his hands, he held…

Alan's eyes widened as Frig Ascutis pulsed at his side. The man was holding what was unmistakably the third weapon. He held a pure white pole, about 3 feet tall. Ice as blue as Alan's eyes jutted out from both ends. From the lower end, it jutted out into a sharpened point, adding 2 feet to it's bottom. And from the upper end, another 2 feet of ice extended, and a wicked curved blade of ice looking more deadly than any metal he could ever have seen. The third and last shard of the legendary weapon was a deadly Scythe.

"Champion of the Frostguard, what do you seek within the Temple of the Seeker?" The knight asked solemnly as Alan narrowed his eyes at the man, trying to discern if he was friend or foe.

"I seek the Seeker's armor." Alan said. The Knight did not move nor react, aside from more fluttering of his cape. Alan's own cape, blue in color, was fluttering in the same wind behind him.

"To enter the temple, you must best me in battle, to prove you are worthy. I cannot let anyone but the White Phantom enter these halls, for I am the Sentinel and that is my job." The man, the Sentinel, said.

"The White Phantom, Kassadin, is the one who guided me here." Alan said.

"So, might you be his prodigy?" The Sentinel asked. He raised his scythe off a few inches before striking it's pointed bottom down onto the ground again, making a sharp sound that echoed around them. Frig Ascutis pulsed at his waist again, seemingly reacting to the sound.

"Draw Frig Ascutis then, Champion. And let it meet my Frig Secerator." The Sentinel said.

…

Both of their peaceful sleep abruptly ended when a burning agony invaded both of their bodies. With cries of pain, they both shoved themselves apart, untangling their limbs which had been entwined together from last night's passion, now nothing more than more fuel for the fire that burned their bodies.

As soon as they pulled themselves free from each other, the pain flared for a few more seconds all over their bodies before fading. It left both of them breathless.

"That's a nice… way to wake up." Reinhart muttered, wincing as he looked at Analia's naked form. For her sake, he had been the one to push himself out of the bed, so she could keep herself covered with the sheet if she wished. She did not have that intention, however, as she didn't bother covering her nudity to him. Rather, she looked confused.

"Strange… Why did we burn each other now, although we did not burn each other last night?" Analia asked as Reinhart shrugged. "I recall you mentioning you can touch iceborn without burns in the heat of battle… Did our little session last night count as a battle?" Reinhart asked, a small smirk playing on his lips as Analia grinned as well, a small pink tinge making itself visible on her cheeks.

"Oh, bugger off." She muttered, before her eyes widened with realization. "I think I understand!"

"Understand what?" Reinhart asked, blinking lazily at her, his face still holding traces of drowsiness on it.

"Emotions. Adrenaline! I think that's what triggers my immunity to your touch… Last night, I was really scared! I was almost shaking with restlessness, just like in battle! Adrenaline!" She said as Reinhart raised an eyebrow, impressed.

"So whenever your emotions get high, your body immunizes itself against the touch of an Iceborn?" He speculated as Analia shrugged. "Seems to be that way."

"Well, the only way to test that theory is by putting it to the test." Reinhart said as he stood up. Analia didn't bother her appreciative stare of his built body as he picked up his clothes from the folded pile in the corner and began dressing.

"Get dressed, Ana. We're gonna have a little spar." He said as Analia raised an eyebrow. "You sure you're feeling alright for a spar?" She asked as Reinhart looked back at her over his shoulder and offered her an easy grin.

"After last night's activities with no ill effect, I'd say I'm perfectly fine." He drawled as Analia rolled her eyes at his stubbornness. Conceding, she climbed out of the bed, and this time it was Reinhart who stared appreciatively at her as she walked past him and to her clothes.

"Y'know, it's rude to stare." Analia stated as Reinhart raised and eyebrow. "You know us Iceborn. We're so cold, our eyes tend to… get frozen on certain things." He mused.

Analia couldn't help but groan at that.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: Reinhart [Achievement Unlocked: Banged Analia] Sorry, I just had to. xD<strong>

* * *

><p>…<p>

_Note to self. Fuck Scythes._

Alan was panting hard as he fell to one knee, using his sword to hold himself upright. He was bleeding from multiple wounds. The scythe had been as deadly as it had seemed and cut through his armor with ease. It's curved edge made it's cutting arc hard to predict or deflect, and it had a massive range advantage. The pointed bottom of the scythe also proved a deadly spear-like weapon as evidenced by the deep crack on the dark ice crystal of his breastplate where the point had struck him as it was thrusted at him.

The Sentinel, however, stood as he had before, solemnly and unmoving like a statue as he watched Alan. He had no wounds to speak of and had not taken even the tiniest hit from Alan.

"You are skilled in fighting, Alan. As you are also skilled in the art of Cryomancy. However, to defeat the watchers, you must use both of them." The Sentinel said.

Alan gritted his teeth, tasting the coppery taste of blood in his mouth as he forced himself up onto his feet again. He let out a harsh cry as he charged the Sentinel, slashing upwards with his Sword. The Sentinel brought up his Scythe, using the handle to deflect Alan's slash away as Alan spun around, his free hand shooting out as an Ice shard exploded out, almost guaranteed to hit the Sentinel at this point blank range. Yet, the Sentinel simply spun his scythe around faster than believable, catching the ice-shard in mid flight and smacking it aside.

And with that same speed, the scythe came slicing down as it was all Alan to spin away from the slash. His cape was sliced off as he spun his body out of the way, the scythe severing through it. He took a few steps back, looking down under his arm at the remainder of his cape. It was sliced in a diagonal way due to his slash, the lowest point being only a few inches. That was how close he had come to being slashed apart.

"You are not using them together, Champion." The Sentinel said as Alan frowned, gritting his teeth in anger. "Ofcourse I am, I just did right then!"

"You used them together. But you didn't use them together. Iceborn blood flows through your veins, but you do not see the power in them." The Sentinel said as Alan's frown became more pronounced, trying to decipher what the man meant. Frig Ascutis pulsed in his hands as he looked down at it's dark ice blade….

_Dark Ice Blade._

It was as if a whole new door had made it's presence known inside of Alan's mind. Suddenly, he visualized himself standing infront of a wall in his mind. Where there had been naught but white wall infront of him, now there was a door. He reached to it with his mind, reached out for it and opened it. It was scary… His foot was hesitating. He was hesitating. And then… He stepped through the door.

Alan almost staggered from the amount of power that invaded his body. It felt as though he were discovering his entire body anew for the first time. Iceborn blood. He could control ice. _He Was Ice._

He felt the trickling warmth spreading through each and every vein in his body. Frig Ascutis was vibrating in his hands, as if it was doing it's utmost best in shaking itself off of him yet he knew it wouldn't fall from his grasp.

And then, the warmth in his veins turned into burning cold.

Never before had Alan felt such cold. Never before had he felt such pain. Alan screamed, his back arching as his face raised up to the heavens as he felt his body writhing in pain. He felt something happening, something out of his grasp. The power he had unleashed had spiralled out of control, exploding out of him in shockwaves that left crystals of dark ice exploding out of the ground. The Sentinel jumped back to avoid these icicles as the shockwaves emanated out of him after intervals of a few seconds, rapidly increasing in repetition in tune with his heartbeat.

Some how, the raging winds of the blizzard had found it's way into this protected zone, swirling around Alan as he screamed in pain again, feeling his entire world go white in agony. The Sentinel widened his eyes as Alan suddenly stopped screaming, the shockwaves of cold stopping as well. Alan lurched forward, standing in a very awkward way, his head hung as his arms hung limp infront of him, holding his blade barely with his fingertips.

And then, Alan slowly raised his face. His eyes glowed a vivid silver where they had once been icy blue, the whites of his eye now completely black, giving him a demonic appearance. His Blue markings had extended, rising up his neck and upto his face, two blue stripes jutting out from beneath his hair from the sides of his head onto his cheekbones, right under his eyes. His armor had changed, some parts of the armor covered with dark ice. Each finger of his hand was tipped with dark ice, changing them into talons. He had dark ice spikes jutting out of the back of his elbows. More ice jutted up the sides of his thighs.

And then, Alan moved.

It was nothing like his previous motion. He moved like he was the storm winds themselves, not even running forward as much as flying forward, the blizzard winds following his motion. The Sentinel had to throw aside all pretenses and move as fast as he could to catch Alan's next sword strike with his scythe. This brought Alan close to his face.

That is when he saw Alan's eyes turning purple.

And then the onslaught began. Slash after slash, Alan began to attack the Sentinel in frenzy, each strike faster than the last, all of it with an eerie lack of emotion on his face or sound from his mouth. He wasn't even breathing hard… It was like he wasn't breathing at all.

The Sentinel was being pressed back, and now it was all the Sentinel could do to make sure he was not completely sliced up into bloody ribbons. Alan was fighting like a demon possessed. He probably was a demon possessed. The power had been too much for him and he had succumbed to it.

…

Alan was screaming as he fell. He had no idea how he was falling or where, but it was in the middle of what seemed to be a hurricane of cold. The winds were buffeting him from all directions, pushing him and pulling him in different directions as he fell and screamed. The wind was overloading his senses as he fell this way and that, spinning and flipping around in the air, unable to tell up from down.

"Alan Frost."

The voice echoed in the storm yet Alan could not see anyone. He couldn't see anything, actually, as the storming whipping him around like a ragdoll prevented that.

"You need to focus, Alan. You need to take hold of your power."

Alan couldn't do that. This was… Too great. It was throwing him around like he was nothing but an ant. A piece of paper caught in the wind.

"Alan, quickly. You are falling too fast. You are falling to the void."

Kassadin's voice began fading as Alan kept falling, the storm slowly getting more intense as the air around him darkened. And then, he heard a voice that silenced his screams and froze him in his struggles.

"Alan… Frost…"

The voice was deep… Refined… And nothing from this world. And then, Alan was standing in the middle of the battlefield again. The sound of metal on metal clashed all around him as he stood in the center, frozen and unmoving.

"ALAN, WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?" Someone screamed at him as they shook his arm. Alan turned around numbly to look at Ashe. Ashe seemed to be panicked from the battle around her, but that was nothing compared to the look she got when he had turned around to face her. The color drained from her face as fear invaded her eyes.

"No… Not you… Alan… Oh Avarosa n-Uck!" Ashe's voice was cut off as a hand grabbed her by the throat, clutching tightly and raising her off the ground.

_His hand._

Alan didn't know what was happening. He couldn't control his body. He couldn't say anything. He only felt numb as he watched in horror as Ashe struggled in his hold, his hand slowly squeezing more and more as he choked the life from her while she struggled. Her hands tried to pry his fingers apart, yet his fingers were cold and dead, an iron grip. She tried to reach to his face to do some kind of damage to make him let go, yet her hands were too short. Her legs were kicking out under her at him, yet the armor on his body took her blows like it was nothing. And then, Alan stopped increasing the pressure on her throat.

For a second, relief flashed in Ashe's eyes as she felt the pressure on her throat slowly laxing, looking at Alan to see if he had become normal again.

He tightened his grip suddenly and only a whimper escaped Ashe as her throat was crushed, blood erupting out of her lips as her eyes went blank.

_No… Ashe… Why..._

Alan dropped Ashe to the ground, where she lay unmoving as he slowly turned around. He did not know when, but Frig Ascutis had appeared in his hand. The dark ice looked more black than dark blue.

He walked forward, slashing any soldier unlucky enough to come infront of him as he cut his way through, blood coating his once pristine white and blue Congelate armor.

He happened upon Sejuani on top of her great war boar as she swung her flail, knocking aside any soldier tainted by the Watcher than tried assaulting her. She saw him for a split second before her face turned into one of grim acceptance and she swung her flail at him with a loud cry.

Alan dashed forward, storm winds exploding around him as it filled the hall, taking him forward faster than Sejuani could do anything. His sword cut the boar's legs off without resistance and with a squeal of agony, the boar fell to his side, Sejuani falling as well, screaming.

"BRISTLE! NO!" She screamed, quickly standing back up as she looked at her dying mount in panic. Alan stood silently and still until she looked at him again. She had tears in her eyes for her fallen mount, yet they were replaced by an anger that flooded into her face.

"YOU WILL DIE FOR THAT ALAN- …. Frost?" Sejuani couldn't even comprehend what had happened until she looked down Frig Ascutis's dark ice blade embedded into her chest, coming out of her back.

Alan stood with his arm raised, Frig Ascutis in his hand minus it's dark ice blade, which had shot out like a bullet from a gun and struck Sejuani. Even now, a new dark ice blade was forming. Sejuani looked back up at Alan before she fell backwards into the crowd of watcher drones, who began killing her with their weapons even though she was assured to be dead.

_Why… Why am I doing this… Why can't I…._

Alan turned around, his eyes scanning the chaos until he spotted the two knights fighting side by side, refusing to give ground. Alan jumped, winds of ice and storm carrying him up like he had wings. And then he flew forward, crashing into their midst like an angel of death. He managed to see surprise register on both of their faces as he landed before he sliced upwards at Reinhart. Reinhart had not been expecting it, yet managed to stumble back, avoiding the worst of the slash. Yet, the sword parted his armor like it was wet slush, slicing a crimson line up his torso that sent him sprawling to the ground.

"REINHART!" Analia screamed, slashing at Alan with her Frig Dinte. Alan simply stood as the curved ice blade sliced through the air towards him. And then the blade stopped, an inch away from his neck. Analia looked shocked through her grief and fear over the incapacitated Reinhart.

"Alan… No… Don't…" Reinhart gasped from behind him, yet Alan stepped forward, turning Frig Ascutis around as a small blade of dark ice, akin to a dagger, formed. He held Analia in a half embrace with one hand as he sheathed the ice dagger into her stomach. Again and Again and again.

By the time he let go, Analia's entire stomach area was naught but red as she fell down to the ground, while he could hear Reinhart struggling to get upto his feet. Reinhart charged Alan with a cry of rage, but Alan simply stepped back towards Reinhart, Frig Ascutis already being held in his hands in a reverse grip, so all he had to do was jump backwards. Frig Ascutis went through Reinhart's chest as the knight uttered a sound of pain. Alan whipped around, Taking Reinhart along with his blade as he threw Reinhart to the ground next to Analia.

_Reinhart… Analia… Why… No… I don't… Why am I doing this…?_

And then, he spotted her. She stood at the forefront, standing up in defiance against whatever seemed to be rising from the grounds infront of her. Everything blurred into unimportance except for her. He walked and within a short time, he was walking upto her.

_No…_

Lissandra turned around, glancing at Alan for a second before turning around in surprise, taking a step back.

_No…_

"Alan!? What… Your eyes… Alan?" Lissandra said, horror evident in her voice as Alan continued walking towards her, red painting his entire armored for.

_Not her…_

"Alan, what are you doing. ALAN, STOP!" Lissandra screamed, raising a wall of ice infront of her to separate her from Alan. But Alan's power was much stronger and the wall simply disintegrated into snow flakes that blasted themselves at Lissandra, who raised an arm to shield herself.

"ALAN, STOP!" She screamed again as Alan lunged forward, slashing at her face.

_NO NOT LISSANDRA!_

Alan's slash was hesitant, as if he was holding back. It barely skimmed her face, cutting her mask in half as the helmet fell to the floor, revealing Lissandra's face. Alan looked up at her face, seeing the fear, seing himself reflected in her eyes, seeing the purple glow emanating from his eyes.

"Alan… Please… Don't lose yourself to it… You must fight it."

Alan straighted up, his hand falling slack as he dropped Frig Ascutis to the ground. Lissandra blinked at Alan, relief coming onto her face.

A purple flash of light that lit up the entire world.

Lissandra fell down, a large circular hole right through her chest, her blood splattering onto the floor as she fell. She fell ontop of Alan, given their proximity, as she clutched at his shoulders to keep herself up. She was crying, tears falling from her eyes as she looked up at Alan.

"Alan…" She whispered, her voice choked with sadness and pain as she leaned up and kissed him.

He didn't kiss her back.

The kiss ended at the same time Lissandra's strength did as she fell to the ground, while Alan turned around to face the immense shadow rising from the Void. And then, the a huge purple glow began radiating with power before there was a sound of electricity, everything turning into a bright purple effulgence.

…

Alan froze, stopping all movement as he looked down at the Sentinel in front of him. The Sentinel was on his knees in front of him, looking up at him through his helmet, Alan's Frig Ascutis an inch away from his neck. Alan was leaning over him, about to deliver the last blow. Alan blinked once before straightening up and stumbling back, exhaustion suddenly turning his body into lead as he lost the ability to stand, his wounds burning on his body. He fell back onto his back, his metal armor making a metallic sound as it collided with the marble floor as the Sentinel looked on in shock.

"Champion? Have you returned?" The Sentinel asked. Alan looked to his side, seeing the Sentinel slowly climb back on his feet, bleeding from numerous wounds which had cut through his armor. His scythe lay a few feet away.

"Returned…? I… What happened?" Alan asked, his head throbbing as flashes of images from his dream crossed his mind again, as well as a large, purple eye… He recalled the deep voice who had said his name, the very voice resonating with power. It made him shudder, although he was too weak to even do that as he lay on the ground.

"You unlocked your hidden potential… But it proved to be too much for you and you were overwhelmed by the watcher's taint." The Sentinel said as Alan's eyes widened slightly, staring up at the sky.

"I… Am I a watcher's drone now?" He asked weakly as the Sentinel shook his head, walking over to Alan, his Scythe in hand.

"You know the three weapons are fragments of the weapon the White Phantom used to defeat Vel'koz, correct?" The Sentinel asked as his scythe melted away into snowflakes that drifted off in the wind, leaving him holding a silver-white pole, which he stored over his shoulder onto his back. "Well… Vel'koz's power was also what shattered the weapon. It is because of him the taint exists. It will corrupt us until it completely takes over our mind. Vel'koz is not the one controlling you. Rather, it is your weapon itself. It is both your best friend and your worst enemy. And you had lost control of it." The Sentinel said, taking off his knight's helm as he unhooked it from his gorget and pulled it off.

Alan couldn't help but widen his eyes at the Sentinel's face. He was, in every way, beautiful. His hair was snow white and long, drifting off to one side in the wind as he stared down at Alan with eyes of gold that contrasted with his pale, marble-like skin. His face looked like it was chiselled by a master sculptor. He had a beautiful melancholy around him, and even Alan, who was another man, could not deny that this man was probably the most handsome man he had looked upon. He didn't even look human.

Yet, like the aura of melancholy he exuded, his face also had a sorrowful sort of beauty to it and he looked down at Alan with an unfathomable expression. "My name is Raziel. And you, Alan Frost, need a lot of help if you are to face the watchers."

Alan's vision was fading and blurring, although he did not know if it was due to blood loss or due to his exhaustion. As Raziel stood over him, Alan though he saw something white spreading out from behind Raziel, unfurling and then opening up like great wings… And that was the last thing he saw before everything faded to black.

* * *

><p><strong>Some of you might be all "Wingsu Senpai you should really separate reality from flashbacks by making the flashbacks italic or something"<strong>

**Well, my dear readers, I like to keep them all similar _because _It connects _You,_ The Readers,To the Characters. The Characters do not know if they're having a flash back or if it's reality. That's whats so confusing about Flashbacks and visions and dreams. And when I'm writing normally just like any other segment of the story, while also bringing it out of the blue, the reader won't know either. They'll be put in the same shoe of confusion as the character and as it's revealed later to the character, it is also revealed to the readers and they all go "Ohhh so it WAS a flash back!" . This is a subtle, simple yet effective trick I like to use as it unconsciously relates the readers to the characters and gives a sense of connection.**

**I only write some parts in italics when I emphasize them OR when the character is consciously recalling something from their past or when they reminiscence.**

**That's all folks. Stay awesome.**

**...**

**...**

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**... What? Expecting an Ice joke? Pfft, you won't find any here today, guis, so tough luck. I ran out of them loooong back and so I gave up and just... If I make too many ice jokes, this story's gonna become nothing but a FROZEN PUNDRA.**

**HAAAAAAAAAAAAAH.**

**~ Wings**


	15. Chapter 15

**Hello there my awesome readers! Welcome to another chapter of IHIE ^^**

**So, not much to really say this chapter, aside from usual apologies for taking so long xD But hey, if you want regular updates on how I'm updating my stories, go and leave my Facebook Page a like, eh? Just Facebook dot com and then paste this right after that: /****WingsSenpai**

**Alright, Shoutouts to awesome stories! First off, shoutout to the one person who brings color back into my grey life, Vendra! She's an awesome writer and is currently doing something called "The Book of Drabble" which is a bunch of awesome shorts! You know what they say, 'short is sweet' and her drabbles are like shotglasses of writing brilliance. Also, Summer, if you are reading this, know that the light you cast upon my dark soul outshines the brightest of stars in the night skies. Thank you for loving me as I love you, mea dulci. And thank you for bearing with my depressive nature, my lack of time and my sappy poetry and quotes xD**

**Also, a shoutout to my bruh Alsodef! You might know him as they awesome dude I'm doing a League x SwordArtOnline collab with (It's called A New Reality, check it out if you haven't already!). So yeah, he's also released the first few chapters of a story where Shurima declares war on the whole of Valoran (Fuck yeah birdie master race Azir knows it) and so far, it's going awesome! I strongly recommend it; it's called "The Power of the Sun."**

**Anyways, without further ado, heres the chapter ^^**

**~Wings**

* * *

><p><span>"Seeing you was so bittersweet I almost died<span>  
><span>My heart jumped but my head kept screaming: Why?<span>  
><span>And I almost thought that i could change the past<span>  
><span>And I almost, but that never really lasts.<span>"

- "Man Down" by The Eden Project

* * *

><p><span><strong>In her Icy Embrace<strong>

**Chapter 15: Frozen**

Alan's eyes opened. They did not open slowly, nor did they shoot open. They simply opened in one smooth motion with no hesitation whatsoever. He stared up at the ceiling above him, black marble that was lit up dimly by white crystals set into the walls in the place of torches or lights. He took account of his body, flexing his fingers and toes before gradually moving up his limbs to his body. He sat up, another swift motion as he looked down at himself. No wounds. No missing limbs. Was he dead? His heartbeat proved otherwise.

A noise made him look to his right, finding the Sentinel standing at the entranceway of the room he was in. The Sentinel still wore his armor, but his helmet was off, revealing his seemingly ageless face. Again, Alan had to blink at the man's apparent beauty.

"Where am I?" Alan asked as The Sentinel… Raziel, if he remembered his name, simply blinked, his face void of any emotions, giving him a sombre, slightly-lost look, yet his eyes were chips of molten gold that was anything but lost. "You are where you have come to be in, Champion." He said as Alan sat up in the bed he was lying upon. He was dressed in a simple blue tunic and black pants, his armor no where in sight. A weight fell to his lap from his chest as he sat up, and he looked down to see Frig Ascutis, as black and broken looking as ever in its dormant state..

"The temple of the seeker." Alan said as The Sentinel nodded. Alan got up as he held Frig Ascutis in his hand. "Where is the Seeker's Raiment? " He asked as Raziel simply shook his head.

"Later. First, you must train." He said as Alan raised his eyebrows.

"Train?" He asked.

"You are not strong enough for the armor, Alan." He said.

"I defeated you, no?" Alan asked as the Seeker fixed his golden gaze onto Alan. The gold in his eyes, Alan realized, was constantly shifting. It was not a trick of the light, his irises literally looked like pools of molten gold, with different shades of gold slowly moving and swirling, almost like the coronas of the sun.

"You defeated the Sentinel." Raziel said as Alan frowned.

"You're the Sentinel, no?" He asked as Raziel nodded.

"I am. But that is not all I am. As the Sentinel, I am limited in order to test worthy candidates. It would not be a test if I killed every man who was remotely worthy." Raziel said as Alan's eyes widened.

"Do you mean you can fight even better than that?" Alan asked, shocked. It had taken much of Alan's powers to be able to have beaten the Sentinel, so much that he had almost lost himself.

Raziel smiled ruefully.

"Alan Frost, I am afraid you would not be able to stand even a second against my full power." He turned around and looked at Alan over his shoulder. "Meet me in the hall."

Alan stood in the large hall, surrounded by black stone polished to a shine, no windows to be seen anywhere, the only light coming from the crystals that dimly lit up the room.

"I want you to summon a cube of ice, the size of your fist." Raziel said as Alan frowned slightly. "That is easy." He said, as he brought his hand forward. He willed his power into being as the water molecules in the air condensed and froze, forming a large cube of ice in his pale as big as his fist.

"That is not your test." Raziel said as seven large prisms of ice formed around him, diamond shaped, floating in mid air around his chest level. They began to slowly orbit around him, rotating in the opposite direction as well as gyrating up over down. "Willing ice into being is the simplest of a Cryomancer's trick. Sending it to move is as easy as pulling an arrow back and letting it loose. You are not controlling it. You simply let it go. But consciously controlling it… You will find that much harder than you think." He said as Alan frowned, focusing his energy into the ice cube. He had controlled ice before... He could make snow fall around him, he had even once used ice on his body to propel him through water. But the snow flakes had been tiny, barely heavier than a strand of hair. The ice had been supported by water and they were not consciously moved either… He had just done what he had always done with his ice projectiles and given them a push. But now… He had to consciously control the ice cube, like it was a part of his own body.

'_Rise…' _He thought, willing the cube of ice to float off his hand. For a second, the cube vibrated and rose an inch from his hand… Then it shot up into the air without stopping and shattered against the ceiling. Raziel didn't even flinch as he stood with his ice diamonds, each as long as Alan's arm, spinning slowly around him.

"Your first training and test is this. Be able to consciously do what I did with my ice crystals in the air for 42 hours without moving or resting." Raziel said as Alan frowned at the man.

"Raziel, I do not know what being you are, but I am still human. I require food and rest and water." Alan said as Raziel shook his head. "We are in the Temple of the Seeker, Alan. The closest to the Void you will ever get without entering the void itself. You might say we might be half in the void to begin with." He said.

"The temple itself is in another reality, Alan. Old magic define it's existence, far more powerful than we can fathom. You do not age in these halls. You do not require food or sustenance in these halls. Time runs differently here as well. It is ever shifting and hard to discern, but you can be sure you have much more time inside these halls than you ever had outside." Raziel said as the ice crystals around him defragmented into billions of tiny particles, swirling around him and upwards as they all melted into the air. "I will come to you again when you accomplish your task." Raziel said as he walked out, leaving Alan alone in the hall.

…

It was the third time this week that Analia had found herself retching, emptying the contents of her stomach. Nausea came onto her being out of the blue at times and the waves were so powerful she found herself running to empty her stomach somewhere discreet or somewhere she couldn't dirty things. Lydia was beside her this time, however, as she had called the little medic to check up on her as she thought she was ill. Lydia patted her back and held her hair out of the way as dry heaves continued to wrack Analia's body.

"Okay?" She asked in a quiet voice as Analia nodded, wiping her mouth with the damp cloth that Lydia handed to her. Lydia guided Analia to her bed, where she sat down as Lydia raised her hand and placed it against Analia's forehead gently, feeling her temperature. Analia almost winced from the contact but then had to remember that Lydia was not Iceborn. Though she had platinum blonde hair and large blue eyes, her skin was a pale peach. She was like Analia, human, having lived her life in Freljord with her father Jory.

"You don't have a fever." Lydia asked as Analia grimaced, feeling the world spin around her. "Do you have any other symptoms?" Lydia asked as Analia shook her head, groaned and stopped shaking her head as that made the nausea worse.

"Alright… Just lie on your front then, I will massage your back and press upon a few of your pressure points which should alleviate the nausea." Lydia requested as Analia nodded very slightly, slowly turning over on the bed and then gently lowering herself down. She gasped slightly in pain, frowning, as her chest ached when they were pressed against the bed. She didn't have small breasts, but they had never hurt when she lied on her front… And they felt swollen and tender right now.

The small intake of air did not go unnoticed by Lydia. "What's wrong?" She asked as Analia got off her front, sitting up again. "I can't… my chest hurts…" She muttered as Lydia blinked. "May I?" She asked as Analia nodded, taking off her tunic. In her nauseated and miserable state, she couldn't care less about baring her chest to Lydia, who was both a healer and another girl. Lydia inspected Analia's breasts, frowning at them as she said, "Do they feel more tender than usual?"

"Yes…" Analia said as she closed her eyes and put her hand on her forehead, the fingertips of her fore finger and thumb massaging her temples in an effort to stop her headache.

"Do you feel very… tired these days?" Lydia asked. Analia opened her eyes as Lydia seemed anxious. As she pulled her tunic back on, she frowned. "Yes… A bit… why?"

"Analia. I must ask you something personal… Did you have… um… Sexual intercourse… with anyone recently? Probably within the last month?" Lydia asked as Analia felt a cold weight sinking in her stomach and all of a sudden she had forgotten to breathe. Finally, she took a shuddering breath and admitted, "Yes… I did."

Lydia looked a bit grim. "Did you… this month?"

"My moonblood?" Analia asked, her lips pressed thin as she already knew what was wrong with her. She shook her head. Lydia simply looked at her sympathetically.

…

He did not know how much time had passed. Seconds. Minutes. Hours. Days. Weeks. Months. It made no matter. Time was inconsequential here. It was not important. Alan had taken his shirt off as it had been drenched in sweat from his concentration. He was down on one knee, gripping Frig Ascutis tightly and using the broken blade to hold himself upright.

In front of him, floated two crystals of ice, each of them almost the same size aside from minor differences. They were spinning lazily around on an axis infront of him as he stared at them with utmost concentration. A drop of sweat trickled down his forehead and down the length of his nose, stopping on the very tip and wiggling there, distracting him slightly but he kept his focus on the two crystals. It was extremely difficult as he had to maintain a very, very specific wavelength of his power to control the ice telepathically.

But it was still not enough. He needed to make all seven. But his mind felt like it was tearing itself apart. Not only his mind, but his very being felt like that. With every ice crystal he had to summon, he had to branch his concentration off to it as well. He gritted his teeth and growled as he shut his eyes tightly, feeling his arms shaking as they clutched at Frig Ascutis in a white knuckled grip. As the air molecules began to freeze infront of him to form another crystal of ice, the other two began to vibrate, chips of ice breaking away as his concentration faltered. He had to focus again and he let out a muffled scream of frustration at the effort it was taking him. And then, as the third crystal was half formed… All three crystals suddenly exploded into shards of ice, hundreds of fragments flying in every direction.

"FUCK!" Alan shouted in anger and despair, taking his right hand from Frig Ascutis and raising it, before punching down at the ground hard. That caused him to scream again as he felt his knuckles breaking against the hard stone floor, the shock going up his arm and probably breaking most of the bones in his hand as well. As bitter tears of pain and anger sprung up into his eyes, he slowly pulled his destroyed hand off the ground. A second later, he felt a warmthness enter his hand and in seconds, it repaired itself. Thus was the magic of this place. Any exhaustion he felt was soon remedied. Any wounds he suffered, soon healed.

"You still do not see the path you must take, Alan Frost." Raziel's voice echoed as Alan looked towards the source to see Raziel standing there, as armored as always except for his helmet. "You are unique in a way, Alan. Ice runs in your blood, but Fire tempers your being." He paused, before continuing, "But even a fool knows that Fire and Ice cannot work in perfect harmony… Atleast, not always. This is one such case. You try to wield the power of ice with fiery determination. You are walking against the current of the river, Alan Frost."

"Then tell me." Alan said, his voice hoarse with his helplessness. "What must I do."

"Find your center." Raziel said. "In order to wield ice, you must become ice. Ice does not burn with rage nor determination. Ice is still. Ice is unfeeling. Cease to feel and enter a state of mind where nothing can touch you, not even yourself." Raziel said, his golden eyes burning as they always did. "Emotions fuel the flame, Alan. But people fear a leader who is calm in the face of battle more than a leader who shouts in fervor."

"It's easier said than done, Raziel. I'm human. Emotions are something that comes to me naturally." Alan said as Raziel shook his head. "Find your center, Alan… It will take time but you can find it."

"How much time?" Alan asked. "How long?"

Raziel stayed silent before saying, "A few months… Sometimes, a year."

"I don't have that much time, Raziel." Alan said.

"Time does not move as it does ou-"

"But it does move outside, no matter how different." Alan said as Raziel stayed silent, his face as emotionless as ever, always wearing that same mask of melancholic mystery. "There must be a faster way." Alan said.

"There is… But it is dangerous." Raziel said as Alan stood up, the beads of perspiration on his skin gleaming in the dim light a she moved. "I do not care about dangers, Raziel. In the end I will face the Watcher, no matter which path I take. And I am either prepared to face him or I am not. And to be prepared, I cannot balk from a path just because it is riskier." Alan said as Raziel stared at him, seeming more grim than before.

"Are you fully intent on taking this path then, Alan?" He asked.

Alan remained silent for a few seconds…

_Lissandra…_

Her name. Her face. Her voice. They flashed across his mind.  
><em>What am I fighting for? <em>He asked himself.  
><em>I am fighting for her.<em> He answered.

"Yes."

Raziel simply stared at him for a few more seconds before turning around. "Follow me." He said.

It was another path through the long, winding hallways of black polished stone as Alan walked with Raziel, going down stairways. Finally, Raziel pushed open a large set of double-doors of black wood with golden patterns on it. As the door opened, Alan saw that they were outside. But that made no sense, as they were deep underground, judging from the number of staircases they had climbed down, not to mention that the temple was built into a cliff.

"Are we outside?" Alan asked as Raziel shook his head. "As I mentioned before, we are in another dimension. Time and Space do not make as much sense in here as they do in your world." He said as Alan found himself stepping onto black marble, a huge ocean of water infront of them, a neutral sky of blue above them. All around them, Alan saw a never ending expanse of water. They were on a circular platform of black marble, which slowly stepped down into the water. Raziel stopped at the edge of the top most step, turning around. "Go into the water, Alan." He said as Alan stepped up to him, to stand next to him as he looked at the stairs leading down into the water.

"And what must I do in the water?" Alan asked as Raziel took Frig Ascutis from him and placed it at his own sword belt, before turning back to Alan.

"You drown." Raziel simply said.

Alan stared at Raziel, not understanding as he frowned, his mouth opening slightly in surprise but Raziel stayed adamant, staring at Alan, his golden eyes shifting and glowing, waiting for Alan's answer.

_If I turn back, I am lost. _That was what had driven Alan into finding this temple. And that was what came into his mind now. He looked out at the silent ocean, the sea without the waves so it simply looked like an infinite expanse of dark glass.

"If I drown, won't I die?" Alan asked.

"Yes." Raziel said simply, after a pause.

"Then what is the point of this?" Alan asked again, although he knew that he would still do it regardless of the answer.

"You will die. But the test is… Will you live?" Raziel answered as Alan took a breath to steel his resolved and began stepping down. His bare feet felt the smoothness of the black marble as he was walking down. When he took his first step into the water, he hesitated, stopping for a second in surprise. _It's cold. _He realized, looking down at it. In all his life, he had not truly felt cold. _If I turn back, I am lost._

He completed his step, the water only lapping around his feet. His next step brought the water upto his ankle. The next, upto his calf. The next, his knees. With each step, he submerged more and more of his body into the water as the coldness sunk through his clothes, through his skin and buried themselves deep into his bones. _So this is what cold feels like. _He mused in his head as the water was around his chest now. He pushed off from the step he was currently on and slowly swam out into the water. His motions sent out ripples across the glass surface of the water, the only disturbance in the entire ocean. The cold shock had been initially brutal… Now, it just felt like a blanket of numb wetness around his skin. He turned around, taking one last look at Raziel, who stood in the same place, staring at Alan. Taking a deep breath, Alan closed his eyes and stopped moving his hands and legs.

This was not normal water, he realized. Normal water tended to push human bodies up. Humans floated in normal water. But here, as soon as he had stopped kicking at the water to keep himself afloat, he began sinking into the water slowly. When his face was submerged, he opened his eyes. Unlike normal water, he could see perfectly as well. But it was water nonetheless. He could feel the coldness on his skin. He could feel the pressure on his lungs as he held in his last breath of air. He could feel his white hair hypnotically moving as he sunk. He watched as it got darker and darker around him, the surface of the water slowly moving further and further away from him. In the water, it was complete silence. He could only hear his heartbeat, beating valiantly against his approaching death.

His lungs were on fire. His throat clawed itself. He held on until he could hold on no longer. He opened his mouth, releasing the air within and gasping for air. But air wasn't what rushed into his lungs. Cold water filled his mouth, filled his throat, filled his lungs. And Alan's eyes widened slightly as he realized it wasn't worse than holding in the air. Now… The coldness was inside him. His chest wasn't burning any more. His throat wasn't itching. He didn't even need the breathe, as his lungs had suddenly lost the ability to exhale or inhale. He simply stared up at the growing darkness, his mouth slightly open, his body limp as he sunk deeper and deeper… Hearing his heartbeat slowing down. Every beat came later than the last. And with every beat, a new image presented itself in his mind. It was true… Life did indeed flash before your eyes when you were dying.

Him punching the ground in frustration, his fist shattered from his anger. Him losing control as he fought against the Sentinel, his entire body being propelled by his power at unbelievable speeds. Him on the balcony at Rakkelstake Castle, with Lissandra next to him as they looked out into the horizon. Him kissing Lissandra gently after he had almost died at her hands. Him gently taking her mask off to gaze upon her face for the first time. Him learning the basics of cryomancy from Lissandra. Him lying on a bed as Lissandra spoon fed him something warm. Him lying halfburied in snow as Lissandra found him. Him looking at himself in the mirror of his old home. Him lying in the snow, younger, as the snow fell around him in a spiralling circle. Him sitting alone at his home as he cried in depression, holding the photo of him and a girl. Him taking baths in icy ponds in the middle of winter without feeling the least bit of discomfort. Him sitting beside a bed as a woman lay there dying. Him hugging a warm woman who caressed his head and said his name lovingly. Him being held tightly against the woman, who was crying into his tiny shoulder and patting his hair as he failed to understand what was going on. Him opening his eyes for the first time to look at the same woman who looked so happy to see him, tears falling from her blue eyes as she smiled at him, holding him in her arms for the first time, her white hair messy as she lay on the bed.

And just like that, the face faded into the darkness as Alan stared up at the dark water. He could only barely see the light reflecting off the surface of the water above him… It was no larger than his fist now. He was still sinking deeper and deeper… His heart. It was almost stopping to beat now. It still fought, even after all of this… It would be so much easier to just give up. To just… die here. At peace. To just… Stop fighting.

_What do you fight for? _He asked himself.

_I fight for her. _He answered.

His heart stopped beating.

* * *

><p><strong>Psst. Hey. Hey you. Yeah you, reader. Guess what...?<strong>

**CLIFFHANGER BIATCH ( surprisemotherfucker. mp3)**

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***Dealwithit Shades slowly descend onto my face***

**~ Wings**


	16. Chapter 16

**Hey there everyone! Wingsu here with another update.**

**I can't say much because I'm writing this IN CLASS xD Fuck yeah, breakin' all teh rulez.**

**So yeah, enjoy the chapter lads.**

**~ Wings**

* * *

><p><span><strong>In her Icy Embrace<strong>

**Chapter 16: The Champion's Bond**

When he opened his eyes, he didn't realize where he was. He was standing in the middle of a large road, hextech cars driving past him and around him, not giving any note to him standing in the middle of the road. All around him, people walked in throngs, heading in their own directions, towards their own destinations. Buildings rose up, closely packed and reaching high up into the air. The sounds of machines and the hum of electricity was all around him.

He was in Piltover.

Yet, this Piltover looked… Different. He knew this part of the city. Some of the buildings were smaller than he had last seen them, and the cars driving around him on the roads were old models. He looked around himself, frowning as to how he came to be here. It was an overcast day and, judging by the scarves and multiple layers that people wore, was in winter or perhaps late autumn. Alan couldn't tell. He couldn't feel anything.

"Look Mom, there's the ice cream man! Can we please, please go have some ice cream?"

He heard the young voice, his eyes widening in disbelief. He knew that voice. He turned around as fast as he could, looking around, his eyes searching through the sea of people until he finally found that familiar mop of snow white hair. He watched as the boy jumped up and down, clutching at the sleeve of a woman's jacket. The woman had long silver hair, although her features were hidden from him as she had her back turned to him. She crouched down to the boy and said, in a warm, loving voice that seemed to be as sweet as honey, "Yes dear, we can go have some."

And just as suddenly as the scene had appeared, it dissolved and Alan found himself spinning out of control through darkness.

And then, he found himself standing upon an expanse of snow. There was no wind, there was no sound. The skies were completely clear, an expanse of indigo above him as the moon shone down from a starless night sky. Yet, it was snowing, the white dots falling from above with no explanation as to from where they were falling.

Alan knew this place. He turned around, his eyes falling onto the familiar form of Kassaddin.

"Who are you?" Kassaddin asked as Alan raised an eye brow.

"You know who I am." He said as Kassaddin stared at him without expression.

"And who would that be?" Kassaddin asked as Alan felt a pang of annoyance at Kassaddin.

"I'm Alan Frost." Alan said as Kassaddin blinked once at him.

"No. You are not. Alan Frost is dead." Kassaddin said as Alan frowned. "What do you mean?" He asked.

"Alan Frost drowned, did he not, in the oceans of tears?" Kassaddin asked as Alan frowned further in confusion, looking down at himself before looking back up at Kassaddin.

"I… He did… So am I dead?" Alan asked as Kassaddin cocked his head at him.

"That depends. Are you Alan Frost?" He asked as Alan stared at Kassaddin, unable to answer him. "I… Don't know." He said as Kassaddin continued staring at him with those lifeless eyes.

"You know nothing." He said simply, pausing for a few seconds before continuing. "Alan Frost is dead, with him, his memories and his life. But the question is… Will he stay dead?" He asked. Alan stayed silent.

"Tell me." Kassaddin asked, suddenly standing next to Alan. Alan jumped, startled. One second, he was infront of Alan. Now, he was standing next to Alan, staring in the opposite direction as Alan was. He hadn't even seen the man move. "Have you ever seen an ocean of water be as still as glass?" he asked. Alan had seen the ocean before, on the shores of Piltover, but he had never seen it as still as the one he had stepped into. He shook his head.

"That is because oceans are made of water. The one Alan Frost drowned in, was of tears." Kassaddin said.

"What's the difference?" Alan asked.

"You know nothing." Kassaddin said again as he turned his head around to look at Alan. "Tears are water, but water cannot be tears. Why do we shed tears, normally?" Kassaddin asked.

"When we're sad." Alan said, the answer coming into his mind easily, but he frowned as he knew there was more to it than that.

"What brings sorrow?" Kassaddin asked.

"Alot of things." Alan answered.

"But a whole ocean of tears? Surely some things cause more sorrow and tears than others."

Alan paused, thinking… When was he sad? He was sad when his mother died. He was sad when he had broken up with his girlfriend. Both of them had a connection… They were…

"The end." Alan said as Kassaddin looked at him. "The end of something brings the most tears."

"Yes Alan. And tell me, what comes after the end?" He asked.

Alan shrugged, his annoyance having long vanished and replaced with curiousity, the thrist for knowledge that was his core.

"A new beginning." Kassaddin said. "But you must find an anchor, Alan. You need an anchor to hold you and pull you back to life, or you will truly fade."

"An anchor?" Alan asked. "What do you mean?"

"The anchor that will hold you to life. Connect a part of yourself to the anchor, and only those things will be vulnerable…" He said as everything suddenly began to fade, darkness closing in from all sides as Alan looked around in panic.

"What's happening?" Alan asked.

"You're running out of time." Kassaddin said as he vanished into the darkness, which advanced on Alan too fast for him to even realize until it covered him. Nothingness surrounded him on all sides, and he did not know if he was floating or standing. And then, his fingertips began to disintegrate.

Alan screamed, but he did not feel pain. The sight of his fingertips disintegrating into millions of glass-like crystal fragments sent him into a panic. His feet, as well, was disintegrating, yet he was in the same position.

Anchor himself. That was what Kassaddin said. But what did it mean!? The panic of time running out was wearing Alan's mind thin, he was unable to think. His arms and legs were gone, his torso was now vanishing. It was reaching up his neck as he gaped in a silent scream, unable to even scream. The whole thing was painless, which made it even worse. He was going to die.

_What do you fight for?_

Her face swam out into the darkness as Alan screamed in effort, willing the particles that were disintegrating from him to form into his right arm, barely managing to hold it together as he reached out for her with his last effort.

…

Reinhart entered the tent to find Analia sitting on her bed, legs crossed, staring down at her mother's necklace in her hands.

"What's wrong?" He asked. Lydia had come to tell him that Analia wanted to talk to him and it was a bit urgent, so Reinhart came as soon as he was able to. She looked tense and only looked at Reinhart, signalling at the chair with a flick of her eyes. Reinhart complied, pullling the chair up and sitting down infront of Analia, right beside her bed as he looked at her with those deep blue eyes of his.

"Reinhart… have you… Have you ever thought about settling down after all of this is over?" She asked, much meeker than she normally was, puzzling Reinhart as he frowned, but he put that aside and thought about the question.

"I'm Lissandra's Congelate Elite. My place is beside her until I die." He said as Analia looked down at the floor.

"I mean… I… Uh…" Analia faltered, her voice dying in her throat as she fiddled with the necklace again. Reinhart leaned forward, his elbows on his knees. "You can tell me, Analia. Anything on your mind, you can tell me." He said in a low, soothing voice. Analia nodded weakly, her shoulders and chest rising as she took in a deep, shaky breath to steel herself. And then.

"I'm pregnant."

Silence followed her words as Analia continued staring down at the bedsheets, a few locks of her hair hanging infront of her face. She looked up, biting her lip in nervousness. Reinhart was in the same posture as he had been, although he had drawn back a bit. His eyes were wide with surprise as he gaped like a fish out of water, his lips parting and closing as he thought of something to say, was about to say it, then changed his mind, repeating the process.

Finally, Reinhart leaned back, sighing in a way that made Analia's heart sink. "How do you know?" He asked as Analia looked back down at her hands, which were playing around idly with the necklace. "Lydia… she took all of my symptoms and connected the dots. But just to be sure, she also gave me this… flower, I think it was called…" Analia faltered, trying to remember the name.

"Lady Blossom?" Reinhart asked. Analia nodded. "Yes that… and told me to touch the petals. The second I did, the white petals turned purple and Lydia said only women who were pregnant made that happen." She said quietly. More silence followed her words as the seconds seemed to grow longer, making Analia anxious.

"So…?" She asked tentatively, looking up at him.

"I… I don't know…" Reinhart said. He meant it in the way that he didn't know what to make of it, but Analia took it the wrong way as he saw her visibly tense up. He tried to recover. "Wait, Analia, I di-"

"Get out." Analia said in a very quiet, very still voice, lowering her face again so her hair hid her eyes.

"Analia, I-"

"GET OUT!" She screamed fully this time, her hands clenching into fists as she fixed and expression of bitter anger at Reinhart, tears shining in her eyes as Reinhart looked at her helplessly, the bitter taste of remorse in his mouth. Reinhart stood up, clenching his teeth so he wouldn't say anything; now was not to the time. The damage was done and anything he did now would make it worse. He'd have to come back later… But for now…

Reinhart turned around and left silently, and as soon as the tent flaps swung closed, a choked sob escaped Analia, whose hand close around her mother's necklace as she bowed her head, crying as silently as she could.

…

Raziel watch with mild surprise on his face as Alan trudge up through the water, stepping up on the staircases, dripping water. His medium-long hair was plastered to his skin, his clothes sticking as well, but his eyes glowed. A glowing shade of blue, evermoving and shifting like it was alive in it's own way, similar to how Raziel's golden eyes constantly moved and shifted.

"How do you feel?" Raziel asked as Alan stepped up beside him. He breathed in as ice crystals suddenly formed all around him, surrounding him on all sides like a cage of crystals. Raziel widened his eyes at that display even more as Alan exhaled slowly, the crystals disintegrating into tiny snow fragments as they blew up into the air.

"What happened to me? I feel… Powerful… Invincible." He said. And then, suddenly, Alan's left hand shot up backhanding something hard away from him without him even realizing it. Alan turned around, eyes wide with surprise to see he had slapped away a large shard of ice that Raziel had sent flying at him.

"That's because you are… In a way." Raziel whispered as Alan frowned, blinking as he stared at his own hands like he didn't know it was his. "You have completed the bond, known as the Champion's Bond. You are now, in almost any way, invincible. Your body is now completely tuned for combat. You move instinctively, each movement pronounced and much faster than you ever were. Mortal weapons cannot hope to hurt you. Swords or Projectiles, like that ice shard, will simply be deflected by your conscious movement, dodged or they'll hit you and do nothing, like a paper plane hitting a steel wall."

"But there are disadvantages…" Raziel's voice trailed off as Alan realized it was a bit too quiet… And then, there was a booming sound in his ears. He jumped, startled, before realizing it was his heartbeat. But now… It was silent… And then, another boom. "My heart… It's… beating very slowly." He whispered.

"Yes. You are, technically, no longer human. More of a demigod, of sorts, like me. Before, you used your mana reserves to be the energy for your magic. Now, You yourself are energy, brilliant, like a star." He said. "But that also means your life is tied to something to prevent you from burning out. An anchor."

"Lissandra." Alan automatically said, and the word seemed to send a ripple through his being. He felt like his whole body was new.

"Yes, she is your anchor. You are her champion and you have bonded with her. Protect her with you life, Alan. For if she dies, you will lose your core and you will burn out like a dying star, ending it all with one massive supernova as all that energy in you explodes out." He said before he raised Frig Ascutis and threw it at Alan. Alan caught it instinctively and instantly felt a shudder run through him. He felt his connection to Frig Ascutis, but the sword now… seemed much more lethal to him than it did.

"That feeling is natural." Raziel said. "The Trinity Frig are not mortal weapons. They can wound us to the point of incapacitating us, but they cannot kill us… Except." He trailed off again.

"Except what?" Alan asked.

"It is a peculiar case… We are unkillable except for one spot on our bodies. A strike there will end us. That, and losing the person you are bonded to." He said. "Everyone who goes through this has a different spot. Obviously, I will not tell you mine.. And be sure to not tell anyone yours." Raziel said.

Alan stared down at his hands, his eyes steely, as he tried to reach inside of himself to find out what spot was his weakness…And then, he felt his heart beat again.

"What now?" He asked as Raziel looked back at him. "Now… You traverse into the void."

…

Sejuani growled as her lieutenants left her tent, exhausted and exasperated. Being forced to work together with the two she would much rather murder was already wearing her nerves thin, but sitting around and doing nothing was making her pissed. It was also making the troops uneasy, as there had already been a bunch of scuffles and fights breaking out amongst the men.

A cold draft brushed past her neck, making a shudder run through her as the hairs on her neck stood on ends. She turned around, looking for the source yet there was nothing. Her tent was secure against the wind outside, so that draft should not have even come in here…

"Sejuani…"

The voice was raspy and dark and it made her bristle as Sejuani looked around her for the source. She grabbed her dirk from the table and walked around her tent, looking for it.

"Sejuani…"

She turned around, looking at the stone basin at the corner of her tent. That was where the voice seemed to emanate from… She walked over, looking around for anyone hiding behind the pedestal it was on… But it was impossible for anyone to be hiding.

Then she looked into the water in the basin, at her own reflection, and froze. Her face was reflected there, obviously. She was not wearing her helmet, because she had been in her tent, so she had nothing on her head, allowing her hair to breathe free… But in the reflection, she saw a crown upon her short platinum hair.

"Queen… Sejuani…"

The voice whispered as Sejuani blinked, eyes widening in surprise before hardening in anger. "What trickery is this." She hissed, yet she couldn't stop looking at the reflection of her face with the crown on her head.

"No trickery… Queen Sejuani…"

"Stop. I'm not Queen." Sejuani spat bitterly, her venomous rage at Lissandra and Ashe rearing it's head within her.

"Yet."

That one word made Sejuani's world freeze up for a few seconds, nothing but the sound of her heartbeat being heard.

"All you must do… is leave these two to their demise… And all of Freljord will be yours."

"Lies." She said, although her voice lacked half the conviction it previously had, like she was unsure of herself.

"Lissandra once took the side of the Frozen Watchers…"

"And look how that ended up for her."

"Yet she still lives, hundreds of years after the death of her siblings. Still, she wields fearsome power that only seems to grow with time."

Sejuani gripped the sides of her basin, staring down into the water, into her reflection as if it was going to vanish.

"You cannot deceive me with sorcery." She said, but even as she said it, her eyes closed as she faced away, her shoulders slumping in defeat, because she knew this was too good to be true.

"There is no lies in my visions." The voice whispered to her and when Sejuani opened her eyes again, she glimpsed a different face. A face with tanned skin, brown hair and vividly glowing purple eyes. A split second, before it was replaced with her own, the crown atop her head.

"All you need to do… Is take your army… And Come to me."

...

"You're kidding me, right?" Alan said as he stared at the giant, circular door. After everything he saw, he was expecting something black or daunting. Instead, the large circular door, which spanned a massive circumference, was completely white and featureless, not even a seam visible to show where or how it might open.

"I'm supposed to… Go into the void?" He asked as Raziel looked at him with that same sombre expression he always had.

"Yes Alan. The Seeker's raiment is within the void. To retrieve it, you must earn it ." Raziel said as he reached up and clasped Alan on the shoulder. Alan was wearing full armor again; the full plate of the Congelate tailored to him. Yet, after all the battles it had been through, it was scratched and scarred, giving him a ragged look. Raziel's armor was far more battle-worn, with a tattered cape to top it off, yet he looked far more immaculate than Alan.

"You will face many horrors within… Good luck, Champion." Raziel said as he raised his hand at the circle. Suddenly, the entire white melted away within a fraction of a second, too fast for Alan to even register. One second, it was a featureless white circle. Now, it was a raging vortex of purple and violet, sucking in the air and tearing at the foundations of the very building itself. Yet, Alan didn't even feel it. He wasn't being affected by the pull, which he found extremely weird. But the Void was something where paradoxes were possible, where the sun rose in the west and set in the east, where up was down and down was up. Nothing in there made sense and everything was warped.

Alan didn't even realized when he had walked up to it but when he took his first step, he was hurled forward at perhaps a thousand miles an hour. He screamed, yet his voice seemed to be echoing behind him, as if he was outpacing his own sounds. Yet, no resistance met his body, forcing it back like it normally would. He could move perfectly normally, even though he knew he was going through at perhaps hundreds of miles per hour. He brought his right hand up to his face and stared at it, watching it blur with afterimages as he hurtled through infinity.

And then, all of a sudden, he stood upon a black flat plane, too flat and smooth to be natural. The sky above him was white, as if the colors had been inverted. Alan looked around himself, seeing nothing around him except for the plane. And then, all of a sudden, 6 humanoid figures surrounded him. They were all human and had armor on, yet he saw no eyes behind the slits of their helmet. They held weapons and stared at him as the hairs on the back of Alan's neck stood up.

He drew Frig Ascutis and, in one smooth motion, the sword of dark ice formed, completing Frig Ascutis into it's normal 3 ft longsword form. He felt… Calm. Before, in all of his battles, he felt his heart pounding, his blood rushing like fire in his veins, everything seemed hyperreal in clarity and feel. Yet now, he felt absolutely calm, like a glass-like surface of water, unperturbed. He could see everything around him, feel them standing, and his body seemed like a whole new thing. He tightened his grip on Frig Ascutis and felt a strange thrum of power travel down the blade, into his hand, up his arm and into his body.

And then, all 6 faceless warriors rushed him, raising their swords. Alan moved, his movements smooth and unflinching as he swerved and slashed at a speed he never thought possible. Frig Ascutis was no longer a blade in his hands; rather, it was a song of death, singing the end of the soldiers who threw themselves at him. He finished with a smooth spinning down-slash that sent him into a crouch as the final soldier crashed into the ground, dead. It began to melt into smoke, the others having already melted away into smoke.

Alan breathed in, filling his lungs with air, as if he was breathing for the first time. He felt… invincible. He recalled all that had happened in that short battle. Each movement he made was deadly, each swish ending an attacker. Their weapons didn't even come close, except for two, but they magically swerved away from him, as if deflected by the air itself.

He looked in one direction, to his right, staring at the unending horizon of black and white. He closed his eyes… A second passed. And then he opened his eyes. Infront of him lay a path of white steps upon the black ground.

"Only one who seeks may find the Seeker's Raiment." Alan said to himself, as if someone else was telling him. With a confident smile, Alan began walking down the endless path…

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><p><strong>Yes yes, I know I know. The story is going very slowly. But guis, this is an important development in the plot. I can't just rush through this and then have you guys scratching your heads later on as to why Alan's suddenly so stronk.<strong>

**Hope you guys liked the chapter! If you did, please leave behind a review with your thoughts on it! I really appreciate it.**

**Thanks for reading! And as always, my next update won't be too soon, so I hope I don't freeze you guys in your seats while you wait.**

**HAH!**

**~ Wings**


	17. Chapter 17

**Hey everyone.**

**First off, let me start by apologizing for my long delay of hiatus. University is really picking up the pressure and I simply didn't have enough energy for writing. I tried to squeeze in as much as I could. But I didn't have much motivation to write this since I was being drained so much.**

**I've gone through a lot in my life in the recent months. Mostly I realized how much I loved drowning myself in alcohol and apathy. I also saved a couple of lives. I learned to live through more emotional pain than a normal person should never have to face. Depression hits like a freight truck and Schizophrenia loves to be the kick-while-you're-down. Also, a lot of financial issues. The term "Starving artist" has never been clearer. I've had a row with my parents and decided not to accept anything from them anymore, which has left me in quite the dirt. But hey, I'll live.**

**Anyways, enough yapping. Enjoy the chapter. Sorry it's short, but I wanted to give you guys an update asap.**

**~ Wings.**

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><p><span><strong>In Her Icy Embrace<strong>

**Chapter 17**

The void didn't make sense, which was to be expected from a place like the void. Alan walked in a straight line yet he was coming back in a circle to where he started from over and over again. He turned around and began walking the other way and this time he didn't come back to that location. The world was twisted, the ground jagged and haphazardly raised and lowered in places, jutting out as mile high shards of obsidian or diving in to bottomless chasm.

He walked and walked until he came onto what looked like staircases leading down. He began walking down the staircase. He could only see 8 steps ahead, afterwhich it was simply blurred out to invisibility. Each step he took made another visible. He kept walking down and down and down, yet the stairs didn't seem to end. After maybe 3 more minutes of walking, Alan stopped and looked behind. He saw that he had climbed down maybe 3 steps, because 3 steps away was the opening which led into the staircase. Alan frowned, turning around and climbing back up to see that he was not where he had come from. Instead, he was in a very large room. The cavernous room looked to be the interior of some kind of temple. It was built with dark blue stones similar to dark ice, and lit up by purple flames on the torches that were placed periodically on the walls and pillars. It was a long room, with perhaps 50 ft infront of him, at the end of which he could see a door. Alan looked back to see a wall behind him, and no opening through which he had come from.

He shook his head and stepped forward. As soon as he did, a resounding thump came from his heart, which seemed to travel all over his body and completely freeze him. Everything around him suddenly darkened. Everything turned black and once again, Alan felt as if he was floating. And then, a flash of purple light filled his vision. A huge purple eye opened up infront of him, a horrendous black pupil fixating itself on him as it narrowed.

"Alan Frost." A deep, resounding voice echoed through him, vibrating through his bones. "You are a fool to have come here." The voice said again.

"Vel'koz." Alan said with anger and hatred boiling beneath his voice. His fists clenched as he stared up at the eye that was much, much bigger than he was. It felt like he was in space and was staring up at a planet.

"You will die in the Void, Alan Frost." The voice said again.

"I cannot die, Watcher." Alan retorted, saying the last word like a venomous insult. "Not anymore."

"You think the Champion's bond will protect you here?" Vel'koz said, his deep voice holding the smallest amounts of mocking. And then, a kind of weird noise that sounded like… laughing. "Alan Frost, you know nothing." Vel'koz said as his eye suddenly widened and the purple light filled everything around Alan. For a moment, his weightlessness persisted in the purple illumination. And then, it faded and he was back on his feet, back in the room he had entered.

"Damn, these visions are getting worse and worse…" Alan said as he ran his hand up through his white hair. Alan took another look around to make sure he was in the same place before beginning to walk forward. However, he had not gone 3 steps before he heard something… A strange kind of clicking noise.

Clackklikklikklik… Zzrrr….

The noise that followed occasionally was similar to something akin to a mixture of a hiss and a growl. It sounded… wrong. Alan looked around, looking at the shadows behind the pillars that could've hit anything. He saw a distortion in the air as it moved through the shadow, but he had been scanning the area and when his eyes shot back to the location, it was still again.

He was not alone.

Alan turned around as the air shimmered behind him. The air suddenly glowed purple and red as a bug-like creature appeared out of thin air, his skin dimming from the glow as his cloak deactivated.

"You sssseem ssssstrong." The creature said, his voice high pitched and like a snake's. He looked unlike anything Alan had ever seen, as tall as him even though it was crouched in a predatory way. It was purple in color and like a large bug, it was covered in an exoskeleton. It had great, veined transparent wings and a wicked visage, with a lipless mouth exposed great fangs in an eerie, permanent grin. Its eyes glowed green.

Without warning, the creature jumped at him, with blinding speed. Alan instantly moved as a pair of great scythes, glowing and humming with energy, slashed down into the ground where he had been standing at. Electricity… No, plasma. Plasma arcs of pure energy snapped outwards from the impact, the energy coating the claws. The creature was fast, wrenching his claws out and swiping sideways at Alan. Alan brought Frig Ascutis up to take the hit. The purple energy coating the claws seemed to explode when it impacted with his sword.

Alan skidded backwards on the floor, as his sword vibrated in his grip, giving off a hissing sound. Alan was about to ready himself for another assault but he frowned when he saw the creature tilting it's head, regarding him curiously.

"You wield a weapon... It gives off the energy of Sssseeker... Yet it isn't part of the Ssssseeker's raiment." The creature said as Alan took a step forward, his hand tightening on the handle of his sword.

"What do you know of the Seeker's raiment?" he asked as the void beast clicked his tongue, before making a series of violent wheezing sounds. It took Alan a few seconds to realize that that was actually a laugh and not a cough.

"I sssee. You are not some wanderer lost in our domain now are you?" He said as Alan stayed still for a second more before shaking his head. "Ah... Interessssssssting..." It said, seeming to contemplate him. And then it shook its head. "Well then... Guesssss I will not be eating you after all." It said.

"What do you mean?" He said, narrowing his eyes, expecting deception.

The beast seemed to grin at him, although because it had no lips, it was difficult to tell if it wasn't just staring at him. "Oh mainly because I am highly... curioussssss... to ssssee how this goessss." He said, cackling once more before he shimmered momentarily, disappearing completely from sight. Alan looked around, expecting another surprise assault. A minute passed. Two minutes passed. When Alan was sure he was not going to get attaked again, he finally allowed his guard to drop, though not completely, as he turned around and continued to walk towards his destination.

Pushing through the doors, he saw only blackness beyond. When he stepped through, the doors behind him suddenly shut on their own, plunging him into darkness. He raised Frig Ascutis, the sapphire glow from his dark ice blade giving him some form of illumination. But he realized he didn't need it, since at the end of another long hallway, was a large raised dais. And ontop, was a set of armor set up upon a throne, as if whoever wearing it had died while sitting on the thrown. The entire room, however, felt wrong. A sense of foreboding came upon him as Alan hesitated. His blade hummed in his hands, as if trying to tell him something. And then, Alan took the first step towards the throne.

The air seemed to explode around him. Pain suddenly covered every inch of his skin, glass shards ripping through flesh and bone, his very soul igniting into a fire hotter than the sun. Alan screamed, falling down to his knees, the black sand under him crunching as his hands followed, Alan doubling over in pain. More pain shot up his hands as Alan realized that the black sand coating the entirety of the floor in this room was not sand, rather, it was razor sharp obsidian shards. His hands were shredded up from their contact with it as Alan screamed again. Through his pain dulled mind, he realized only his hands hurt. The pain covering him seemed to be... only in his mind. Though he felt like he was burning, melting, being torn apart, his body was fine. He couldn't see anything hurting him. The pain in his hands, the actual pain, was sharper by contrast.

Still, Alan felt like vomitting from the pain he was in. He slowly stood up, taking another step forward.

He screamed again as the pain covering him seemed to double. It felt like he was being turned inside out, like his very essence was being unraveled thread by thread. Steeling himself and gritting his teeth, Alan decided he would try to storm through it. He ran forward.

That was the worst decision he had ever made.

Three steps in, his legs gave way as he screamed in pain again, crashing into the black glass, feeling the right side of his face being cut and sliced by the sand as he fell. His armor was already scratched up by the glass, and he could feel the shards slowly wearing through the steel and sole of his armored boots. But the pain was good, in a way. The pure agony of actually cutting himself up was breaking through the immobilizing shrod of fake pain that seemed to weigh him down. He pushed himself up, shouting in both anger and pain as his palms dug into the sharp shards, until he got to his feet. The blanket of pain began to cover him once more, but Alan closed his hands into fists, hissing in pain as he dug the shards embedded into his hands deeper. Clarity came to him along with the shooting pain as Alan began to trudge forward.

He was still far away from the dai when he felt the shards poking through his shoes and cutting his feet. Soon, he began leaving bloody footprints in his wake. He was a modest distance away when droplets of rain began falling around him. But it wasn't just rain, no. He realized that when a drop landed on his gauntlet. The drop sizzled as it burned through the silver and platinum armor like it was nothing, burning into his arm beneath and turning his skin red where it landed.

Still, he continued walking. He was half blinded, his right eye closed in pain. Keeping it open hurt the cut up right side of his face, and the blood pouring from the wounds kept blinding him. Wiping it away hurt him more every time so he simply kept it closed.

He was getting closer to the Dais when he suddenly fell to his knees and began coughing violently. Three coughs in, blood erupted from his mouth, spewing onto the black obsidian sand, which seemed to greedily absorb it. Alan grimly stood back up as he didn't even bother to wipe the blood on his mouth.

So this was the void. Where the ground was razor sharp, the air was toxic and the sky rained fire. He was loving it so far, maybe he'd even take a vacation here once he was done with the whole Watcher business.

Alan realized he might be going insane from the amount of pain he was enduring, because of how sarcastic thoughts were in his head. Or perhaps it was a sign he was still sane, as he held onto that part of his personality.

After perhaps an eternity, Alan finally reached the steps. The pain suddenly stopped... Or rather, the blanket of fake pain stopped. It was like stepping out of water. He was still, however, in agony, as his broken, torn up body slowly climbed the steps. He realized his entire armor, once a proud white and light blue coloration, had been coated completely in red, riddled with holes burnt by the acid rain, covered in scratches, with some of them cutting right through the armor. He climbed up to the top of dais and approached the throne. The Seeker's raiment sat there, mocking him as he reached out to it.

And then, he was suddenly back in the temple. Raziel blinked, surprised to see him as Alan fell to his knees, gasping in the cold, fresh air.

"What happened?" Raziel said, looking Alan up and down. "Did you find it?"

"I... Don't know..." Alan said, gasping as pain wracked his body, although it was slowly numbing down. As if being back in the real world caused his Champion's bond to start working again, the pain slowly disappeared, although Alan could still feel his wounds, still feel the blood slowly seeping out, still feel the pieces of obsidian shrapnel embedded deep in his flesh. "I found... a set of armor upon a raised platform, seated upon a throne... I touched it and here I am."

Silence.

Alan raised his one open eye to look at Raziel, who was looking at Alan, curiousity and awe in his eyes. "Did I do it?" Alan asked.

"You... did something... And it is enough. I believe it shall grant you the protection you need to face Vel'koz." Raziel said as he turned around. "You were gone for a few hours. I take it you wish to return to your Queen as soon as possible?" Raziel asked.

"Yes." Alan said, feeling no more pain as he opened his right eye tentatively.

"Alright..." Raziel said as he raised his weapon, Frig Secerator. He held it in front of him as another portal, this one a whirling vortex of blue and white, opened in front of him.

"After this... I believe I've had enough of portals." Alan said in a low voice as Raziel did not do anything except simply look at Alan with that same expression he always seemed to have. "This will take us close to your camp. But we will still have to walk." He said as he stepped into the portal. Alan sighed and followed, feeling the portal shoot him through time and space.

...

Reinhart sat beside Analia's bed, staring at her. Analia was long asleep, her golden hair spread out around her head like a halo, her back turned towards Reinhart as she slept on her side. He had entered her tent a few minutes ago, only to find her asleep. He didn't know what to say or what to do.

All his life, after the loss of his family, his entire world had revolved around Lissandra. Serving her. Protecting her. Being her sword and shield. And now... Analia had come into his life and everything had turned upside down. Gods, she was pregnant with his child... No, not his. Theirs.

Reinhart didn't have any idea of what to do. How to be a father, how to be a husband. Nothing. He knew only about warfare, training and the arts of the sword and shield. The thought of settling down with a family never crossed his mind. But now that it had, he couldn't help but feel a certain kind of longing for it.

"I'm sorry."

Her voice roused him out of his thoughts as he perked up. She was still lying on her side with her back to him, but she had definitely spoken. "I over reacted, I know... You didn't deserve that kind of response from me. I'm sorry." Analia said as she seemed to curl in on herself. "I'm just... scared. I don't have any idea about this... I've never thought about this before so I'm just... I don't know, I reacted badly to you... I'm sorry..." Her voice cracked up near the end as tears feel from her eyes, unseen by Reinhart, although he could realize that she was crying.

"Analia..." He said gently as Analia curled up further, hugging herself as she wrapped her arms around herself, and then pulling her knees up. "You must... hate me now... for that... For putting you in t-this situation... And then... screaming at you... I don't blame you... I'm such a horrible.. person..." She said, inbetween the harsh sobs that wracked her body. Through her crying, however, Analia felt the bed move as a weight seemed to settle behind her. Before she could react, she felt strong arms come around her waist and pull her into a hard wall of muscle.

"I don't hate you Analia..." He whispered. "I could never hate you."

Analia simply nodded as her crying started up again with more fervor. Reinhart simply held her close through the night until her sobs dimmed down and she fell asleep. At some point in the night, he closed his eyes to rest and he too fell into the blissful abyss of slumber. Together, the two slept, held together like they were made to fit.

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><p><strong>By the way guys, I finished the sequel to my Zed x Akali story. Those two stories are definitely the best stories I've ever written, even better than Darkness Rising or this one. I don't care if you ship Akali with Shen or Zed with Syndra, I ask- No, I URGE you to please go and read them. Read them like a story if you want instead of a fanfiction, so you don't need to mess up with your OTPs if you don't want to. Replace the character names in your head, I don't care. Just read them. Trust me, you will like them. Just in my regular fashion, the startings are sloppy but the endings are masterful. I'm so proud of those two stories, it's stupid how I feel about them.<strong>

**But yeah, that's all. Please take some time to leave a review, guys, it helps a lot for motivation as well as to better the story. As always, you don't need an account to review for my stories. So feel free.**

**Also, I take commissions. Either for art or story writing, if you want me to do something for you, I'll do it for cheap ^^  
><strong>**No dear readers, I'm not selling out. I'm not saying "pay or no story fgts". I'll still keep writing whatever I feel like, but I'm just trying to make a living, y'know? :P **

**I'm not dead, and neither is this story. So don't leave me out for the cold winter, aye?**

**~ Wings**


	18. Chapter 18

**I don't have much to say. Life sucks.**

**Enjoy the story.**

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><p><span><strong>In her Icy Embrace<strong>

**Chapter 18**

Lissandra heard the commotion outside and instantly came out of her tent, even though it was in the middle of the night. She had been awake, planning and going over every single aspect of her strategy against the Watcher. And then, there was a growing roar as people outside began shouting. She thought they were being attacked.

As she rushed outside, she saw soldiers rushing around, looking into tents. Her eyes found Ashe, who came running to Lissandra.

"What's going on?" Lissandra asked as Ashe's blue eyes fixed themselves on where Lissandra's eyes were,inside her helmet.

"Sejuani is gone. Along with all of her army." Ashe said with eyes wide with shock and fear as Lissandra felt a weight plummet into her stomach. They couldn't beat the watcher without a strong army. And Sejuani had the most battle hardened army among them. With hers gone…

And then, the roaring of people around her stopped. Like a wave, silence fell, starting from the right edge of the camp people were suddenly surging towards the right edge in an effort to see something. Lissandra and Ashe both noticed it and quickly walked to the apparent source of interest which held the soldier's attention. Everyone parted for them, even when the crowd got thick. Whispers were now all around them as the crowd finally fully parted and both Lissandra and Ashe stopped dead in their tracks at the sight infront of them.

Alan stood next to a tall imposing figure with long white hair, and he looked like he was two feet in the grave. His armor was shredded and burned as if he had stepped into a meat grinder. His right pauldron had already fallen off, along with a part of his upper chest's armor, revealing the hard muscular flesh beneath. He was literally covered in blood, no part of his skin or armor that wasn't red. Even his white hair was dyed red with the amount of blood in it, patches of white here and there. Yet, Lissandra didn't think she ever saw Alan look so… powerful. He literally radiated power, so vast and dense that it was almost a physical presence, waves of strength rolling off of him. And his eyes…

They glowed a bright blue, the color within shifting and churning slowly and lazily like it was filled with molten sapphires. It was almost hypnotic.

And then, Alan stepped forward and drew his sword, the ice coming onto Frig Ascutis to complete its blade. Some of the guards fidgetted uneasily, a few even reaching for their weapons, but then Alan got down on one knee and dug his sword down in the ground in front of him, bowing his head against the hilt of his blade as he said, "My queen, I have accomplished the task you gave me and returned."

Lissandra only blinked, though it was unseen underneath her helmet. "Rise, Alan Frost." Alan complied, standing back up straight. He looked like he had also gotten taller. What the hell had happened in the temple of the seeker? Lissandra's eyes moved to his companion, a man in armor that was scratched and battle worn, yet looked absolutely immaculate. His golden eyes shimmered and shifted just like Alan's eyes. As if he noticed her attention had shifted to him, Raziel inclined his head, but did not bow.

"My name is Raziel. I have come to lend my aid in the battle against the Watcher." He said as he raised his head again, fixing his golden gaze on Lissandra.

"We appreciate your aid. Please follow me into my tent, you two. We have much to discuss and debrief." Lissandra said, still reeling from Alan's abrupt change. She turned around and began to walk back to her tent, Ashe still staring at Alan.

"If there was any doubt we would win this war, Alan." Ashe said, her eyes focused on Alan. "I must say it has been quelled quite a lot."

Alan simply smiled as he got back on his feet.

…

Deep within the void, a body floated. A young man, curled up in a fetal position, completely nude, floating within an expanse of oblivion. His white hair floated weightlessly around his face. All over his pale skin, black tattoos spread like veins and thorns, patterned down his arms, up his legs and all over his torso, right upto the two marks that led up his chin and ended at his lips.

"Awaken, Knight." A dark, baritone voice said as the tattoos on the figure suddenly glowed purple. They spread,changing and shifting into a new design as the figure's eyes opened, light purple in color.

…

Their sleep had been blissful, aside from the small moments in the middle of the night when one of them shifted enough for their skin to touch, which resulted in the sharp burn that woke both of them. But aside from that, they had both been careful to keep their skin from touching. only their faces, necks and arms were in any danger of touching, so it was still a comfortable night of hugging in which they spent their sleep.

The tent flap opened as Lydia walked in. "Analia, have you seen Re- Oh!" Lydia exclaimed loudly, surprised to find Reinhart in bed with Analia, with the sheet pulled up on them, Lydia had no way of knowing they were fully clothed as she quickly covered her eyes and blushed. "I-I'm sorry! I-I had n-no idea!"

"Lydia, it's alright, calm down." Reinhart said as he pushed himself up into a sitting position, roused awake as soon as Lydia had stepped through the door. Analia yawned as she turned around to look at Lydia.

"Oh… Well… Queen Lissandra and Lady Ashe is looking for you two." Lydia said as Reinhart sighed. "Crap… I must've overslept."

"And it's Queen Ashe, Lydia." Analia corrected offhandedly as she also got out of bed. Reinhart snorted as he said, "Let's not get into that right now." He then turned his scarred face towards Lydia, fixing her with his dark blue eyes. "What's the matter?"

"Well… Good news and Bad news." Lydia said.  
>"Bad news first." Analia said, as she shared a glance with Reinhart.<p>

"Sejuani left in the middle of the night. And she took all of her army with her.

Reinhart looked pissed as his fists clenched. "Without her troops, we stand a low chance of defeating the watcher…" He muttered as Analia, whose eyes had hardened into chips of emerald, then said, "And the good news?"

"Alan is back. And he's… Different. He also came back with a companion. "

"Alan is back? Was he successful?" Reinhart asked as he quickly began putting on the rest of his clothes on with haste. "You should see for yourself. I have no way to explain it." Lydia said as Reinhart quickly walked out of the tent, followed by Analia.

They arrived at Lissandra's tent, and both of them gasped audibly when they saw Alan. He looked like he had gone through hell and came back, which in a way, he had. His eyes glimmered as he saw them and a smile came onto his face.

"Hey guys, glad you could make it to my homecoming party." He said.

"What the hell happened to you, Alan?" Analia asked.

"Don't ask. You don't really wanna know. Hell, I don't even exactly know." Alan said.

"Regardless, were you successful?" Reinhart said.

"We were about to ask you that ourselves, Alan." Lissandra said as she fixed her masked gaze on Alan.

"I don't know. I saw some kind of armor, but when I touched it… It… Something happened to it." Alan said.

"I believe…" Raziel said, his very voice seeming alien in how eloquent it sounded, yet also ethereal. "... That Alan was successful, but not in the way we thought. There is no choice for us to do anything but see where this leads."

"And that brings us to our current dilemma." Ashe said.

"Sejuani." Lissandra said, her voice venomous, as if the name was a curse.

"What made her leave? Anyone have any ideas?" Alan asked. Everyone shook their heads.

"It doesn't make sense. Sejuani is many things but she doesn't go back on her word, unless something forces her… " Ashe said, her eyes lowered, mind deep in thought. "Unless… She is given an alternative that provides a better outcome for her and her people." Ashe concluded.

"Do you think the watchers somehow got to her?" Reinhart asked.

"It is possible." Alan said, glancing at Lissandra. "Once Lissandra broke free, the watcher still needed someone. And Sejuani seemed to fit his profile."

"Okay, apart from that… What do we do now?" Analia asked as everyone looked towards Ashe and Lissandra.

"Alan, in your visions, you say you saw a castle?" Ashe asked. Alan nodded, frowning as he thought about it. "I think it was Rakkelstake."

Ashe seemed to pale as Lissandra leaned forward, looking down at the map. "Rakkelstake is here." She pointed to the city and castle drawn out on the map. Then she slowly traced her finger from there to the northwest, going to the very edges of the map. "And we are here. We can take the path we took to get here, and we should be back to Rakkelstake by tomorrow."

"Well, what are we waiting for then? Lets tell the troops to pack up and head back." Analia said as Lissandra and Ashe both nodded. The two knights gave a small bow to their respective lieges and walked out of the tent to relay the message. Lissandra then turned around to Alan.

"Alan, I know you said you're not injured… But I must insist you go and have yourself looked at. You don't know what kind of injuries you might even have." She said adamantly as Alan finally sighed, fixing his strange, shifting blue eyes on her.

"Alright Liss." Alan said, turning around and walking out of the tent, leaving Raziel there, who looked at Lissandra and Ashe and then said, "I will go scout the path ahead of us."

"How are you going to do that?" Ashe asked. Raziel simply stared at her impassively as he then said, "I have ways."

…

Lydia slowly took Alan's ruined armor off, dropping them onto a pile on the floor next to him as Alan sat on a stool. His body was stained red with blood as Lydia found it hard to keep her medical composure up, with her emotional distress at Alan being covered in blood flaring. Finally, once all the armor was one, she brought up a bucket of warmed water, dipping a cleaning rag into it.

"Are you sure you're not in pain anywhere?" She asked as Alan shook his head. She began wiping him with the rag, cleaning the blood off of his skin. And then she gasped and stepped back.

"Lydia? What's wrong?" Alan asked, looking back at her. Lydia swalloed, before dropping the rag and picking the bucket. "I'm sorry for this, but…" She said, before dumping the water onto him. Alan was slightly startled by the sudden dousing, but since the cold didn't bother him, it wasn't that much of a shock. As he shook his head and wiped his eyes of the water, Lydia stared at his body.

"Alan… your… Corruption.."

Alan stood up, looking down at his bare torso. He blanched. The blue tattoo marks had spread all over his right arm, over his shoulders and down his back, even going down to the elbow of his left arm. It was spreading, alright.

"Oh." Alan said, shocked as Lydia stared at him, fear plainly written on her face.

"It's… It's going to be okay, Lydia. You don't have to worry about this." Alan said dismissively.

"Are you stupid!?" Lydia suddenly shouted as Alan was taken aback, staring at her. "Don't need to worry? Alan, I always worry about you! I can't help it! I can't help but worry about you! Because I…" She stopped, her voice dying down to a whisper as tears sprung into her eyes. "Because I _care_ about you…. I… I have feelings for you, Alan."

Alan blinked, looking at Lydia, actually seeing her. He had never really paid her that much attention, yet Lydia had always been the one taking care of him most of the times. He was stupid to have not noticed that and to have said what he said.

"Lydia… I… I didn't know, I'm sorry." He said as Lydia wiped her eyes and shook her head. "No… It's okay, you don't have to apologize. I should, for my outburst… But I meant what I said Alan." She looked at him with her big blue eyes, utterly vulnerable.

Alan looked into himself for her. He had feelings for Lydia, yes. He liked her and cared about her. But that was it. He only liked her as a close friend, someone he would protect with his life… But not someone he could romantically care about. When he thought about that, only one woman's face kept coming into his mind.

"Lydia.. I… I'm sorry… I already… have someone I'm sworn to." Alan said, looking away, unable to see Lydia breaking down at the rejection. She took a step back, blinking and wiping her eyes again as she then fixed a weak smile on her face. "It's.. It's alright Alan, you don't have to feel bad. It's okay… I don't hate you for it." She said as she looked up and down at him. "Well, I see no injuries… So you're fine Alan. You should get going." She said, a little too quickly before she turned around and began busying herself with instruments on the table.

"Lydia…" Alan felt like he should say something.

"Please Alan… Just… Just go… I'm not angry or anything but.. I just need some time alone." She muttered without looking at him. Silently, Alan stood up, pulled on the new shirt Lydia had laid out on the bed beside him and walked out, feeling bad that he had to break her heart like that.

But he couldn't lie to her. That would've been worse. So, consoling himself with the fact that he did the right thing, Alan headed back to his own tent.

...

As everyone scurried this way and that, packing up the supplies of their encampment, Reinhart Sevlras, who was back in full armor and uniform, stood overwatching the actions of his troops.

Analia walked up to him, not in full armor, yet with Frig Dinte stuck against her back in it's broken, inactive form for all to see. That was all she needed to display for her rank of champion to be evident.

"What are you thinking about?" She asked him without looking at him, both of them looking out at the soldiers doing their work.

"All of these soldiers. All these men. Their lives depend on us to lead them." Reinhart said, as he stared. "Some of these men won't make it home to see their wives, or their parents, or their children, brothers, sisters…"

"And none of them will have any wives, parents, children or siblings to return to if the watchers win." Analia said as she looked up at him.

"Analia, I've been thinking…" Reinhart said, but Analia caught the way he was going to go.

"No, Reinhart." She said firmly.

"Analia, I know you're a capable fighter and everything, but you have to think for two lives rather than one right now." Reinhart said as he turned to look at her. Analia glared at him. "No means no, Reinhart. I'm not going to let you go off alone and then have you return to me in a casket… Or having nothing at all return, since from what I know, the watcher is fond of disintegration. I'm either going to fight with you and win with you… Or I'm going to die with you." She said, staring hard at Reinhart. Reinhart knew he could fight until the fight actually came, but she would not budge on this. And so, Reinhart nodded and drew his sword. A flicker of surprise crossed Analia's eyes, but she didn't move in anyway, as Reinhart took a step back, drove his sword into the ground point first and then got down on knee.

"Then I, Ser Reinhart Sevlras, knight to Queen Lissandra and Elite of the Congelate, hereby swear upon my sword and life that I shall protect you and let no harm befall you, from this breath until my last breath." He said as Analia stared at him in surprise and wonder.

"You can't do that!" Analia said angrily as Reinhart stood back up. "You don't know what could happen in a fight, you can't just swear your life away like that!"

"I can and I did. I'm a knight, we do that kind of stuff." Reinhart said, a little smug that his action had flustered Analia.

"Well then I'm gonna do it too!"

"You're not a Knight."

"Ugh!" Analia angrily huffed and crossed her arms, puffing her cheeks up and looking away as Reinhart chuckled at that, before pulling her close and holding her against his side with one arm.

Things were peaceful. For now.

…

As Lissandra stood near the head of her army, there were some collective gasps and sounds of awe as people looked up into the sky. Alan and Lissandra looked up and were equally awed.

Raziel floated in the air, slowly coming down to the ground in front of them. Behind him, were huge wings made of crystal, spreading feathers of ice as snowflakes fell all around them from his movements. A few feet off the ground, his wings shattered into ice dust that was blown up into the sky as he fell the rest of the drop, landing lightly on his feet and digging only an inch into the hard snow.

"Woah. I wish I could do that." Alan said as Raziel only fixed him with that imposing golden gaze of his on Alan.  
>"I've had hundreds of years to work on my techniques, Alan." Raziel said as Alan shook his head in disbelief. Raziel then turned his head to Lissandra. "We cannot return the same way we came."<p>

"Why not?" Ashe said.

"There is a tempest centered on the path there. A huge storm capable of completely decimating our army. Even I couldn't get too close to it." Raziel said.

"So that explains why it's foggier here than usual." Ashe said as Lissandra shook her head. "We move around the storm then.

"That can take a lot of time." Ashe commented as Lissandra looked at her. "What choice do we have?"

"Wait." Alan said as everyone looked at him. "The storm. It's a snowstorm?"

"Yes." Raziel said.

"I have a plan." Alan said.

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><p><strong>Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Leave a review with any thoughts you might have.<strong>

**~ Wings**


	19. Chapter 19

**Story's picking up. The ending isn't too far off now.**

**Hope you all enjoy the read.**

**Small thanks to tesselcraig for proofreading through the chapter to fix my usual typos.**

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><p>"Alan, I honestly don't think you should do whatever it is you're planning on doing." Lissandra said uneasily as she stared up at the sight in front of them. Ashe's mouth was agape, Reinhart and Analia both looked very surprised and even Raziel had a grim expression on his face.<p>

"This storm… now that I come this close, it doesn't feel… natural." Reinhart said as Alan stared in front of him. The winds were already whipping around them, but upfront they could see a massive wall of ice and snow rapidly blowing to the side, whipping around like a hurricane, going as wide as the eye could see, which in the storm's visibility condition, wasn't that much.

"I thought snowstorms didn't affect iceborn." Alan said, his eyes determined on the storm ahead of him.

"A flying shard of ice can affect anyone if it hits them hard enough, Alan." Ashe said as her eyes came back onto Alan. "What are you even planning on doing?

Alan's hand went back to the handle of Frig Ascutis, as he reached into his own mana reserves. Ever since he underwent the champion's trial, his small lake of mana had suddenly multiplied into an ocean. And as he probed into Frig Ascutis' mana reserves, the mana that had been stored there by generation after generation of warriors who wielded it, he felt like he was a speck in space compared to it.

_No… Not now… I can manage myself. _He thought as he looked over at Lissandra, and then at Ashe. "I'm going to redirect the winds."

"That's madness Alan." Lissandra said calmly. "I'm the most powerful in cryomancy here and even I cannot achieve that against a storm of this magnitude. You can't stop winds that strong and even if you can, it'll eat through your mana so fast it won't even last a few seconds, much less the hours we need to get through this storm."

"You're thinking against the wind, Liss." Alan said as he looked back at the storm, his azurite eyes glowing as the color shifted within the confines of his irises ever so slowly, as it always did now. He raised a hand at the storm. "The winds are going towards the right, which means it's not directly against us. We're not going to stop the wind, we're gonna redirect it to flow over us like a shield. The wind will be our shield against itself." Alan said as Lissandra thought about his idea. "That… Wow, that might just work." Lissandra said.  
>"You do know some things after all, Alan Frost." Ashe said as Alan flashed her a grin.<p>

He then began walking forward. After a small delay, the army behind him followed. Once he got close enough to feel the wind's force, Alan focused his power. He honed in on the ice particles that littered the winds abundantly around him. He felt their presence, and slowly nudged them above, curving them upwards like a tunnel with a gentle slope on both sides. The wind obeyed as the snow followed his directions. That was easier than he thought it would be. He flashed a thumbs up back.

There was some collective cheers as the army saw that his idea had been a success. And thus, everyone began trudging through the storm, led by Alan.

…

An hour had passed. They had definitely gone very deep into the storm now. It was as dark as night and visibility was low. Ice and snow howled over and around them, so thick that light couldn't get through. Soldiers had already brought out Dark Azurite, dark ice infused with power which emits light. Alan was definitely feeling the heat of effort as he trudged forward. His skin felt feverish in contrast to the bitter cold around him, even though he didn't feel the cold. He kept most of the wind, and mainly the deadly shards of ice, away from them, but some of the wind was still seeping into them, just enough to blow their hair to the side. Though the wind wasn't that strong inside, it was definitely very, very cold. He could feel it even though it didn't affect him.

Behind Alan was Lissandra and Ashe, along with their royal guards, behind whom were Raziel, Analia and Reinhart. Reinhart spared a sideways glance at Analia and was surprised to see she looked worse for wear. Her eyes were weary as they stared ahead, her steps were slightly sluggish and her chin was quivering… Or rather, her teeth were chattering. She was shivering too.

"Analia, are you alright?" Reinhart asked in a low voice as Analia glanced at him, a short exhale coming out of her mouth in the form of a mist. Now that Reinhart saw, she was also breathing in short, quick pumps.  
>"I'm… F-f-fine…. J-just… N-not as i-immune to the c-c-cold as A-Alan is… M-maybe t-t-that's why I c-c-can't tou-touch iceborn s-s-skin... like h-he can without g-g-getting burned." She muttered as Reinhart looked her over. She was in her champion's armor, which was basically cold metal, under which she already had some good padding and clothes underneath that. Still, she wasn't prepared to face such a harsh storm, so ofcourse she was feeling the freeze. She quickly gathered up her cape, unclipping it from her back and wrapping it around her neck and lower mouth as a makeshift muffler. Analia had lost her helmet long ago back when she had first fought Alan.<p>

He quickly grabbed Analia, holding her against him as he gave her some support. He also grabbed the edge of his cape and brought it around, wrapping it around her to give some kind of protection against the wind.  
>"T-thanks." She muttered, as she graciously wrapped one around around him to aid herself to stay standing. That's when Reinhart knew she was really cold, since she didn't even respond in her usual way at his help.<p>

"D-don't…" She said before Reinhart could think. "Don't what?" He asked.

"I know w-what y-your t-t-t-thinking… Don't t-tell Alan t-t st-stop… We n-n-need to get there." She said, her skin pale but her eyes strong. Reinhart wanted to protest but he only nodded. "Try to use your mana like an inner furnace to heat yourself." Raziel said from the side as Analia glanced at him. "But keep it low, or you'll burn through it too fast." He said as Analia nodded, taking in a deep breath as she did what he suggested. It spread a bit of warmth through her insides, but didn't do much to take away the cold. It would keep her alive, however, and going. That was all that mattered right now.

Another hour passed. Alan was definitely beginning to struggle with the burden now. He was panting slightly and his eyes were glowing strongly as he kept the barrier up. At one point he stumbled a bit and a cutting arc of wind managed to get past his defences. It hit far back in the column of troops, but aside from some surprised cries and a few soldiers falling from the sudden wind, no one was hurt. But Lissandra definitely saw him falter. She walked forward, catching up with him as she grabbed his hand. Alan glanced at her, surprised.

"Alan. Let me help." She said as she linked her mana pool with his. Alan felt like he took a breath of fresh air after holding his breath under water for a long time. Linked to her mana reserves, which was so much more than his could be, his barrier regained its strength and he regained some color to his face. "Thanks." He muttered as Lissandra nodded, her mask hiding whatever expression she might have on her face.

As they walked, the wind suddenly stopped. Surprised, Alan looked behind him to see the wind still blowing, but they seemed to have crossed a threshold into an area of calm… The eye of the storm. He waited as the army made their way into the clearing before letting go of the barrier. The tunnel in the wind behind him collapsed back into the unpassable wall of ice and wind. He looked forward again. They were on some kind of large clearing, and very far ahead, he could see what looked like a bridge made of ice. He walked forward to the point where the bridge met the land and stared over the edge into the darkness below.

"Is that…?"

"It is. It's the Frozen Abyss." Lissandra confirmed, who had followed him.

And then, a deep, distorted voice vibrated through the air, sending shivers down into Alan's very bones.

"**Alan… Frost… We finally meet." **

Alan froze as the voice emanated from the darkness below, yet he saw nothing. And then, a great purple circle became visible below, and all the hairs on the back of Alan's neck stood up.

"LOOK OUT!" He shouted, instantly diving at Lissandra and shoving her out of the way. A second later, an explosive blast ripped through the air, a searing purple laser disintegrating away the ground they had been standing on as it shot up into the air. It ripped a hole through the storm clouds too, a circular hole forming in the weather as a shaft of sunlight managed to find its way down.

He looked back but didn't see anyone coming over the cliff face yet. The voice… It was definitely void related, because of how inhuman it sounded. It echoed on itself, and sounded grating like nails on a chalkboard... But it didn't sound like Vel'koz. It was too… Distorted. Human. And a different pitch and accent.

And then, a man floated up over the edge of the cliff. He wore purple and violet clothes similar to what a Shuriman would wear, extremely ill suited to this kind of weather. However, the cold didn't seem to bother him at all. A face mask and hood covered most of his head and lower face, yet his eyes were visible. They glowed bright purple; His hands glowed with void energy, arcs of purple plasma sparking occasionally.

_Good news, it wasn't the bloody watcher himself. Bad news, Vel'koz wasn't the only cunt who could use lasers. _Alan thought as he stood up. "Lissandra, stay behind me!" He said as Lissandra stood up as well.  
>"Do you take me for some kind of damsel!?" Lissandra said aggressively, but her aggression was more directed at the man, even though her words were at Alan. And then she spoke to the man.<p>

"Who are you?"

"**Feast your eyes, mortals! For I am the prophet of the Void, Malzahar. And I bring you a foreshadow of the future." **Malzahar said as he pointed his finger at Alan. "**You will all fail your quest to stop the watchers. That, I know, but have not seen. But right now, one of you will die. That, I have seen and I know. And the killer will be you, Alan Frost." **Malzahar said as he aimed a hand at Lissandra. A laser of pure void energy erupted from his hand as Lissandra instantly rose a great pillar of dark ice in front of them to shield herself.

And then the laser shot through the dark ice like it was butter. "LISSANDRA!" Alan screamed, using all the speed he had to move and put himself in front of the laser.

It slammed into him and Alan screamed. He felt like he was back in the void, in that expanse of land where the rain was acid, the ground was razors and the air was fire on his skin. He felt his very molecules screaming as the laser did its damage to him, yet his champion's bond forcibly holding the very particles that made him together. He was blasted back, slamming into Lissandra, both of them flying back into Ashe, Reinhart, Analia and Raziel, and some of the royal guards, who had surged forward to assist. Everyone fell as Alan and Lissandra crashed into them.

Alan was back on his feet the instant he could, his entire body steaming as void energy crackled around him. His body felt fine, but the spot on his back… His own little Achilles heel, felt boiling hot. He wasn't sure if he could survive another hit like that.

He looked at Lissandra and found her groaning in pain on the ground. He had slammed into her quite hard and he was wearing armor. Everyone else had fallen back too, and was in various states of recovery. Reinhart had been right behind them, and was right under Lissandra, and from the looks of it, was out cold. Analia rose to her feet, but almost instantly fell back down to her knees after taking an unsteady step. Her lips were blue and her skin was paper white. "I-I-I… Can't… Too c-c-cold… Sorry A-A-Alan…"  
>But it was the sight of Lissandra, whose pain leaked from her mind into his throught the bond, that really mattered. Rage filled him, fueled by seeing her hurt, and power flooded into him through the Champion's bond.<p>

"ALAN!" Lydia shouted as she ran forward at all the commotion. "Are you alright?"

"Lydia, take care of Lissandra." Alan said as he drew Frig Ascutis. "WAIT!" Lydia shouted, but Alan didn't stop to listen. The ice blade formed the second he drew it, and with a burst of energy, Alan darted forward. His eyes glowed as he felt the very blood in his body, the ice blood, thrum with power, making him much faster and stronger.

And then a figure darted up from the abyss, landed in front of Malzahar and dashed forward, slamming his own blade into Alan's and stopping Alan in his tracks.

Alan's eyes widened as he found himself staring into the face of… himself? It was him. The warrior who had jumped out of the abyss was him. But there were differences. For one thing, his eyes were vivid purple and inhuman.

"Hello, Me." The Void Alan said as he shoved Alan back. It was then that Alan realized that his void self was using a blade that looked like a crude copy of Frig Ascutis. "Who… What are you?"  
>Alan said as the Void Alan grinned. "I'm you. You didn't think you came out of the void completely whole, did you? A part of your essence was left behind and that part is me." Void Alan said as he raised his sword.<p>

Alan didn't even waste a second. He surged forward again, almost too fast for the eye to see, and slammed Frig Ascutis into the imposter's sword. He engaged in an onslaught of slashes and strikes with his sword, each being parried or deflected by his shadow self, sparks of blue and purple energy raining from each clash of their blades. Alan fought like a demon possessed, but apparently his demon self had the same skills, for they were trading blows for blows.

"**Give up Alan Frost! You cannot beat yourself… Like you, he is also invincible. The champion's bond flows through him too!" **Malzahar said, his arms crossed as he hovered behind them, obviously enjoying the fight. Alan slashed his blade horizontally at his void self, an arc of ice blasting out to follow the path. Void Alan simply backflipped back to avoid it, landing several feet away. Void Alan retaliated by aiming a hand at Alan's feet, where a pillar of ice suddenly shot up, slamming Alan in the gut and sending him flying back into the ground.

"Alan. Let me take over." Raziel said as he walked up next to Alan, who managed to get back up on one knee, growling as he shook off the disorientation. "He is right, you cannot beat yourself. But I can beat you." He said.  
>"Fine… Don't lose." Alan said, grimacing in pain.<p>

"**Well well… If it isn't the Sentinel himself." **Malzahar said as Alan stepped back, Raziel drawing the short broken staff from his hip. Dark ice formed on both sides of the staff, elongating into the deadly scythe/spear combo that was Frig Secerator.

"You think you can beat me? Don't you remember how Alan defeated you in the test, Sentinel? That was me while I was still inside of him!" Void Alan said triumphantly. "You taught him how to utilize the iceblood in him and it shall be your undoing, for I will use it once more to defeat you! This time, I will kill you."

Raziel simply shook his head, a small smile on his face as a low chuckle came from his throat. Void Alan looked confused. "Laughing at the face of death, Sentinel? That is unlike you."

"No…" Raziel said as he planted the spear-end of Frig Secerator into the ground, a hum of power suddenly surrounding him. Ice crystals formed behind him, forming a pair of large wings made completely of razor sharp crystals. "I'm simply laughing at the fact that you think I taught Alan something that I don't know, much less haven't mastered." He said. And then he exploded forward at Void Alan with speed that seemed impossible. Void Alan's smile was wiped off in that exact instant as Raziel appeared in front of him in the blink of an eye, his scythe curving through the air. Void Alan's sword rose up to deflect it, but as the scythe blade was deflected back, Raziel used the momentum to bring the other side of Frig Secerator up. His weapon's ice shifted, the scythe blade disintegrating and instantly forming again on the opposite side as it came up and slashed at Void Alan's unprotected side.

Raziel's weapon was unorthodox and absolutely deadly. A flurry of slashes came at Void Alan from every angle and side. Everytime Void Alan deflected a strike, another one was already coming at him from another angle, the scythe rapidly reforming itself with every new motion to suit itself. Every strike slashed at Void Alan, but drew no blood due to the Champion's bond. Yet, Raziel wasn't harmed in the least. His movements were unique. Unlike Alan and Void Alan's fighting style, which was impulsive and explosive, Raziel's movements was like a deadly dance, perfected in a way that only the immortal had the time to perfect. Each little motion was precise, every slash emphasized in its deadliness, every movement and shift lethal in its effectiveness. Void Alan's armor was already shredded to pieces. Raziel was striking at Void Alan in every spot imaginable to find that one spot of the champion's bond.

Screaming in rage, Void Alan surged forward, slashing wildly. And then Raziel suddenly turned, spinning around Void Alan's charge as his ice wings slapped the attack aside. "NO-" Was all Void Alan managed to scream as Raziel, with a clear shot at Void Alan's back, arced the scythe blade right at Void Alan's back. It cut through his armor, not scratching his skin as usual, except at one point at the small of his back, the same spot where Alan had his weakspot… Blood welled there and Void Alan instantly froze, arching up in pain.

Before he could even scream, however, Raziel's scythe came spinning back around as it completed a deadly circle for a second slash, this one easily slicing through Void Alan's mid-riff, completely bifurcating the shadow copy. Blood didn't spill. Instead, Void Alan instantly turned to dark ice and shattered right as he separated into two halves. Raziel exhaled harshly as he took a moment to look at his fallen foe, before turning around to look at Malzahar's expression of shock.

Malzahar screamed in outrage as he blasted a laser at Raziel, who deflected it into the ground with Frig Secerator and flew up to attack Malzahar.

"**WITNESS THE VOID!" **Malzahar said, his eyes glowing bright as Raziel's eyes suddenly turned violet as well, a vision of the void assaulting him. Before he could shake it off, Malzahar shot another laser at him, which hit him square in the center of his chest, blasting him back into the ground, where he landed with an explosive impact. Alan was already running forward and got blasted back by the explosion, landing on his back. Alan quickly got back up again however, hearing someone scream his name, but ignoring it as Malzahar shot a laser at him. Alan quickly deflected it off to the side… And then something flew past him and landed on the ground a few feet from him. He looked down and suddenly felt his heart freeze, his eyes widening.

It was an arm, severed right below the elbow, light blue in skin coloration. Alan slowly turned his head to the side, where his name had been screamed from a few seconds prior.

"A...lan…" Lydia said as she took a stumbling step backward, her right arm missing from just above the elbow… Along with most of her right torso. A clean half circle had blown through her, taking out most of her right midriff from halfway down her ribs to her waist, the other half of the circle taking her arm at the elbow, which had flown past him. A wound caused by the laser he had so hastily deflected. Lydia fell to the ground just as Raziel suddenly flew up from the hole he had been in, chucking his weapon spear-end first at Malzahar. The weapon crossed through the distance between them in the same time it took for Lydia to fall to the ground.

It pierced Malzahar right through the chest as the prophet screamed in pain, his scream cut short when the scythe blade passed through him as well, cutting him almost in half at the chest. Blood erupted from him as he fell back into the abyss while Raziel held his arm out at his weapon, which flew back to his hand. Alan, however, focused only on Lydia, who had fallen to the ground. He ran over to her, falling onto his knees beside her.

"Lydia… Oh god… Lydia, what have I done… " He said, panicking at her state. There was no way she could survive this. She had a huge hole in her, which was rapidly bleeding out, along with things poking out which he couldn't even look at without feeling sick. "Alan… I…." Lydia gasped, her voice weak as tears escaped her eyes. "I don't wanna die Alan… I don't… wanna die… Alan… please…." She cried, a weak sob escaping her as Alan, his hands hovering above her yet not touching her, didn't know what to do. "A...lan…. save me… please…" She whimpered as more tears cascaded down her cheeks, her remaining arm weakly and shakily rising to just barely touch Alan's left cheek before sliding down, leaving four bloody tracks. With one more shuddering gasp, Lydia's eyes glassed over as her arm fell to the ground, leaving Alan crouching beside her body.

He raised his head to the clouds and screamed.

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><p><strong>Wow such death, many surprise, such shocking<br>guess that's what you call a plot hole. GEDDIT, CUZ SHE HAS A HOLE IN HER NOW? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAhahaha yes I'm insane.**

**but yeah leave reviews, I really wanna know how the plot twist made you react.**

**~ Wings **


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